Undertale EverDeep II: Deep Dreamer
by Alan Tryth
Summary: Having successfully settled the survivors from a Underfell and Underswap Underground, Glenda Adams Soleil and Sans reunite to find their missing robot dog Jake, discover the source of the ichor and put a stop to it before more universes are compromised, and return to reality J-27 to rescue Asriel. Meanwhile, Asriel resumes his exploration of the Deep with his golem friend, Golemite
1. Prologue: Investigations

**Prologue**

 **Investigations**

The jar sat on the lone clean spot on top of the desk, making it look as though the mess of papers, cola bottles, and wireless game pads were keeping their distance from the jar and its ominous occupant. The black goo had the consistency of hot tar, yet it gave off no heat. If anything, the jar felt strangely cold to everyone who touched it. The metal lid was firmly clamped on the mouth of the jar, and for good reason; the goo had proven strangely adept in escaping containment in the past, somehow managing to pop, unscrew, and in one case melt the lids of its previous containers. Even now, it would occasionally thrash about as though testing the walls of its glass prison.

Glenda Adams Soleil, interdimensional troublemaker and Dreamer , stared at the jar with the intensity known only to artists and certain raincoat-wearing lieutenant detectives. She'd been experimenting with the substance she'd come to call 'the ichor' during what little spare time she had during the past few months. Nodding, she tapped the record button on a small tape recorder and lifted a small microphone to her mouth.

"All right." Glen said, "Through previous tests, we've discovered that ichor with a mass greater than one-hundred and forty grams exhibits behavior suggesting life, perhaps even some manner of intelligence. We'll begin with the basic ichor tests."

She sifted through the mess on her deck for a few moments before producing a small flashlight. Shining the light at the jar caused the ichor to violently thrash about with enough force to shake the jar. When Glen moved the light to cover only part of the jar, the ichor invariably moved to avoid it.

"Substance is photosensitive." Glen said before put her hand on the side of the jar. The ichor immediately moved away from her hand as far as the jar allowed, just as it had recoiled from the light. Glen then repeated the test, this time placing a small piece of luminite beside the jar to the same result.

"Substance reacts to people and objects with innate radiance." Glen said, moving the luminite away from the jar. The ichor inside settled, bubbling softly as though simmering.

Glen glanced up at her companion and nodded. The young white-furred man with short goat-like horns put his hand beside the jar. The ichor threw itself against the side of the jar toward the young man's hand like a snake leaping at a particularly juicy mouse. Startled, the young man snatched his hand back.

Chuckling, Glen said, "Oh, it likes you, Asriel."

Asriel made a face at Glen before setting a small ordinary rock beside the jar. The ichor moved toward his hand again, but once he pulled his hand back, the ichor settled once again.

"Right." Glen said, "Moving on to biological test one. Asriel?"

"Right." Asriel picked up the three boxes he'd brought with him and set them around the jar of ichor. Glen pushed the boxes up against the jar, only for the ichor to clearly move toward one of the boxes. She opened the box to reveal the occupant, a small brown mouse that stared warily up at her.

They repeated the experiment a few more times, eventually putting the mouse back in the cage above the mantle and replacing it with a lizard, a frog, and finally a small slime who'd volunteered eagerly for the experiment. Each time, the ichor moved toward the box with the creature, despite having no outside evidence of which box contained it.

"Thanks, Jeff." Asriel said, setting the slime on the ground along with a small plastic card. "There, as promised."

"Heck, yeah!" Jeff the slime said, bouncing several times as the card remained balanced on his head. "I'll be at the arcade if you need anymore help!"

"Biological test two." Glen said into her recorder as Asriel opened the study door for Jeff. Using the same boxes, Glen tried the same test as before with different materials: vials of blood from the various races she'd encountered, soulstones both empty and full, crystallic of all colors, and finally several eggs. The results were varied, but telling; the ichor didn't respond to the blood (save the vial containing her blood, which repelled the ichor), the empty soulstones, and unfertilized eggs, but did accurately indicate which boxes held full soulstones, all colors of crystallic, and fertilized eggs.

"Substance is flux-sensitive, but not sensitive to biological components without residual flux energy." Glen tapped her bottom lip with her thumb. "All right. Final test. Asriel, step back."

"Glen."

"I don't like it either, but it's for the record."

Sighing, Asriel picked up the mouse again and handed it to Glen.

"Sorry, little one." Glen said, rubbing the mouse's fuzzy head. "If it's any consolation, this'll be quick."

Glen quickly lifted the lid and dropped the mouse inside the jar. The ichor pounced on the squeaking rodent instantly, swirling madly around for a few moments before forcing itself into the creature's mouth. Within seconds, the only trace of ichor came from the eyes and mouth of the now-much larger mouse.

"Substance forms a symbiotic link with living creatures, making them stronger and more dangerous. Asriel?"

Asriel put his hand on the side of the jar with only a hint of reluctance. The mouse hissed as it scratched at the sides of the jar with surprisingly large claws, clearly intent on getting at Asriel's hand. When Glen put her hand between Asriel and the jar, the mouse retreated, as afraid as it had been eager. Glen repeated the test with everything else except Jeff, each time showing similar results.

"Infected creatures show similar behavior to the substance." Glen noted. "They seek stream sources and retreat from radiance. All right; purging experiment. Asriel?"

"And I'm backing away." Asriel said, doing just that.

Nodding, Glen opened the jar and quickly grabbed the mouse. The little creature shrieked at his touch, claws scrabbling against Glen's skin in vain as more and more ichor spewed from the mouse's eyes and mouth. The liquid hissed as it touched the Dreamer's skin, evaporating with only the barest wisp of smoke. Glen winced at the stinging sensation this brought, but held the mouse until the flow of ichor stopped.

Glen opened her hand to reveal the mouse. The small creature looked a little shaken, but was otherwise unharmed by the experience.

"There there." Glen said soothingly, gently rubbing the mouse's fur. "It's over now, Officer Squeaks. No more tests, I promise."

She put the mouse back in its cage, leaving it with a small piece of cheese and a whole cherry as a reward. With Officer Squeaks munching away happily on the treat, Glen turned back to the now empty jar.

"Contact with radiance source purges ichor from possessed beings and destroys ichor, regardless of size or behavior." Glen said as the scratches on her hand slowly healed, leaving her skin pink but whole. "Future research will focus on identifying sources of ichor."

"Which are hopefully far away from here." Asriel said as Glen stopped the recorder. "That was the last bit of ichor from the ruins."

"Well, if there's more, there's always the lumite deposits they've been digging up." Glen said. "But I think the major source in this dimension's already been dealt with. Speaking of, how is Kidd?"

"As well as can be expected after getting eaten by a giant metal worm. He's lucky to be alive at all."

"Hmm." Glen rubbed her eyes for a few moments before heading for the door out of the study. "C'mon; let's go get some lunch at Grillby's new place, my treat."

Glen and Asriel were met with the sounds of construction as they exited the Cherry House. With most of the planet still reconstruction from the invasion of the Combine, the people of Ebott and the monsters of the Underground were pretty much left to build the city on their own. Glen was there to help of course; she'd already built the Cherry House, a recreation of her old family home back on Earth in her home dimension of J-27. It was nothing fancy, but somehow the sight of it always made her feel more comfortable.

They'd scarcely left the neighborhood when they were met with a loud shout of, "Hey! Glenda!"

"By the Creator." Glen muttered as she turned toward the speaker, a short skeleton with a blue bandana tied around his neck. "It's Glen. It's just Glen. How many times have I asked him not to call me Glenda?"

"Oh, around fifty, I think." Asriel said with a grin as the skeleton raced to where they stood.

"Glenda!" Said the Magnificent Sans (Magnificent to his friends). "I've got a message from her Majesty!"

"Oh?" Glen said, curious. She hadn't heard much from the Queen of the Underground since she and Asgore had their little remarriage ceremony. Glen was the maid of honor, though she hadn't been happy about the dress. Still, one doesn't turn down that kind of honor from the queen of the Underground.

"What's she want?" Glen asked.

Magnificent shrugged. "Dunno. She just said to bring you to her, poste haste. Hey, does that mean we need to get a mail truck?"

"Er, no, Magnificent." Glen said as Asriel chuckled. "She just means really quick."

"Well, come on then!" Sans said, grabbing Glen's hand and pulling her down the road.

Ever since Alphys finally admitted him as a junior member of the Royal Guard, Magnificent had thrown himself heart and soul into his duties. He could be a bit over-the-top sometimes, but Glen felt the little skeleton's devotion to duty made him all the more adorable. Word was Alphys was even considering promoting him, seeing as Magnificent had become a favorite of the monster and human communities at large.

The streets of Ebott was a literal maze to navigate, as the monsters of the Underground, while quick builders, also were by nature lovers of puzzles. They couldn't help it, and it was difficult to complain when they'd taken a relatively undeveloped area and given it paved roads in a matter of weeks. Fortunately, the humans were taking care of power distribution.

Magnificent led Glen and Asriel to the Entrance of the Underground. There was a lot of traffic in that area, especially from human scientists eager to study the Underground, the monsters, and magic. Fortunately, Alphys was currently on duty, her remaining eye glaring sharply at everyone who moved to enter the Underground as though daring them to cause trouble. It was no secret that anyone who obliged would soon feel the bite of her massive axe.

"Hey!" Magnificent called from the back of the line. "Captain Alphys! Captain Alphys, it's me, The Magnificent Sans!"

For a fraction of a second, Glen thought she saw one corner of Alphys's mouth twist up in a very slight smile. Letting out a snort, she pointed at Magnificent while motioning for the rest of the crowd to move aside.

Alphys caught Glen's arm as Magnificent led her toward the Underground. "I'm still waiting for that rematch."

"You free later today?" Glen asked, raising an eyebrow at the muscular lizard-woman.

"Today's no good." Alphys said with a grunt and a shake of her head. "I'm busy."

"Scientific endeavors?" Asriel said, an innocent look on his face.

Alphys glowered at him as she released her grip on Glen. "Tomorrow."

"I'll have to check my schedule." Glen said as she continued into the Underground.

Once they were well away from Alphys, Asriel said, "You've been putting her off for three months."

"Undyne's request." Glen said automatically. "Apparently she sulked for a week last time I beat her." Glen didn't add the fact that she'd only narrowly won last time, and that was by pure chance.

The Temmie Knights stood and saluted as Glen, Magnificent, and Asriel entered Castle Dreemmur. Magnificent returned the salute with his usual excessive enthusiasm before marching into the castle. Just a few months ago, the idea of a human walking through the halls of the mighty fortress would've seemed ridiculous; now there were humans everywhere documenting the paintings, the tapestries, the carpeting, and any sculptures that remained.

They found King Asgore in the throne room. The massive Bossun worked diligently in the flower garden beside the diminutive form of little Chara.

"Your Majesty!" Magnificent said, snapping another salute.

King Asgore and Chara turned, the latter leaping to her feet with a cry of "Uncle Glen!"

Glen caught the little girl and spun her about much to Chara's delight. "Well, hello there, little one! What are you two up to?"

"Mister Dad guy was showing me how to plant new flowers." Chara said as Glen set the little girl on her shoulders. "We're planning on making a big garden up on the surface."

"Good. Ebott could use some color." Glen said, thinking of the lush gardens that were in the Ebott of J-27.

"Tori's in the chapel." Asgore said, a worried look on his face. "She wouldn't tell me why she summoned you. Is everything okay?"

"Oh, I'm sure it's fine." Glen said, smiling more for Asgore and Chara's benefit than out of any feelings of reassurance. She set the little girl back on the flower patch and ruffled her hair until Chara ducked out of her reach.

"We're about to take some seedlings up to the surface." Asgore said, motioning toward several boxes full of dirt and little green plants. "You mind giving us a hand, son?"

"Sure thing, dad." Asriel nodded at Glen and said, "Catch you later?"

"Sure thing." Glen said, forcing a smile. "See you then."

Glen stopped just outside of the throne room and looked back at the Dreemurrs as they departed to the surface, Asriel and Asgore each holding a full crate of seedlings while Chara held a pot with a single yellow flower. A twinge of homesickness fell over her, both for the Ebott of her dimension, and her wife in Longshore, still over a thousand years away. Glen clasped the pendant that hung around her neck, seven silver turtles surrounding a small emerald orb.

"I miss you, kitten." Glen whispered.

"Huh?"

Smiling at Magnificent, Glen said, "Sorry, got lost in thought for a moment there. Lead the way, Magnificent!"

The Magnificent Sans marched Glen through the rest of the castle until they reached the chapel. The somber chamber was filled with magical light from the enchanted windows, the closest thing to actual sunlight that existed in the Underground.

Toriel stood beside her royal armor. It was on display now, a remnant of the past and a reminder of the conflict that led the monsters to their underground prison. She looked contemplative as she regarded the plate mail.

"Queen Toriel!" Magnificent said, snapping to salute. "I've brought Glenda, as ordered!"

"Very good, Sir Sans." Toriel said. "Would be so kind as to leave us so that I may speak to our friend in private?"

"Of course, your Majesty! Right away!" Sans gave her another salute before swiveling on his feet and marching out of the room.

Toriel and Glen traded glances before giggling.

"Well, you can't fault his enthusiasm."

"Indeed." Toriel said, smiling. "Still, I am glad our newfound peace won't see him facing any danger. He is a sweet child."

"That he is." Glen shook her head and said, "So, what's up, Tori?"

"I wanted to say thank you ... thank you for everything."

"Hey, no problem." Glen said with a shrug. "Just doin' what I always do."

"Still, I wanted to tell you before you left."

Glen's smile froze on her face. "Excuse me?"

Toriel gave the Dreamer a knowing look. "You were, I believe, planning on departing this dimension today, correct?"

Glen started to ask how Toriel could've known that when she'd been very careful to only mention it to one person, only to stop when that person stepped out from behind one of the pillars of the chapel.

Narrowing her eyes, Glen said, "Way to go, blabbermouth."

Papyrus shrugged and took another drag from his cigarette. "Are you saying this was a departure from my normal behavior?"

"Cute." Glen said, "Cute pun."

"I must confess, I don't understand why you wished to leave so quietly." Toriel said, a hint of sadness in her eyes. "Over the past few months, you've become a big part of our community. You helped break the barrier, helped us integrate with the humans and their allies, you got the elder of old Ebott to agree to the expansion ... heck, you helped build most of the buildings as well as assisted many monster families in moving their belongings to their new home. If you must depart, I'd sooner see you off with a celebration."

Glen sighed and rubbed her temples. "I ... appreciate the sentiment, Toriel. Ebott's always been a place close to my heart, and seeing this reality's Ebott so close to that from my reality ... it makes me feel at home."

Sighing again, Glen said, "But this isn't my Ebott. My friends are waiting for me there, as is the Asriel of my reality, still stuck as a flower. Then there's the Sans I met, the last surviving monster of his reality; who knows what trouble he's gotten up to. Then there's that missing shard of the Inverse Harmonius."

"Speaking of." Papyrus said, digging into the pocket of his hoodie coat for a moment before producing the crystal that bore the imprint.

"I must confess," Toriel said, eyeing the crystal with some trepidation. "I will be glad to see that thing gone. It feels ... wrong."

"It's part of a rune that allows passage between realities." Glen said, taking the stone. "By it's very nature, it is an aberration."

"It's not that. When I look at it, I can't help but feel ... anxious. It's like when you forget something important, something dangerous, and you know it deep inside but can't bring up any specific memory about it." Sighing, Toriel said, "I know that doesn't make much sense, but-"

"Eh, it's probably nothing." Papyrus said with a carefree shrug of his thin bony shoulders. "Besides, Glen will be taking it with her. Right?"

"Right." Glen said. "Assuming it survives transit to another reality, I might be able to use it to track the actual fragment. If I can find the actual fragment, I can come back without any trouble. I've already set up a dimensional marker here; provided I can find the shard, I should be able to return at will."

"Then you intend to return at some point?" Toriel asked. Seeing Glen's nod, she smiled. "I'm glad. I would hate to think this is goodbye."

"Well, it might be a while." Glen admitted. "Even if I do track down the shard, I've still gotta solve my Asriel's problem, find LastSans and Jake, and figure out what caused the break in dimensions in the first place. Quite frankly, finding the shard will probably be the easiest thing."

"I understand." Toriel said. "And if you find a cure for your Asriel ... do you believe it will work for Temmie Kidd?"

"Can't see why not." Glen said. "So there you go; I'll definitely have to come back at some point, if just to fix him."

Toriel held out her hand, a warm smile on her face. "In that case, I wish you a safe and swift journey."

"Thank you, your Majesty." Glen said, shaking Toriel's hand for a moment before giving the bossun queen a hug. "Take care of 'em while I'm gone."

"I will." Toriel said as Glen stepped back. With a final nod of her head, Toriel walked out of the chapel.

Papyrus approached Glen once they were alone. "This place is gonna feel weird without you."

"Bah." Glen said, waving a hand dismissively. "You all got on fine before I got here. As long as you stick together, you'll be fine."

Snapping her fingers, Glen said, "Oh, that reminds me. Catch!"

Papyrus lifted his hand in time to catch the keychain Glen tossed his way. He glanced at it a moment, his eye sockets widening. "The keys to the Cherry house?"

"Consider it a wedding present." Glen said with a grin. "Or did you and Rahnna think I didn't notice the rings?"

Papyrus held up his right hand, his gaze going to the simple golden band around his ring finger bone. "I guess we didn't. Thanks, Glen ... and see you later."

"Later, Paps." Glen said, waving at the lanky skeleton as he departed. Her gaze immediately fell back to the crystal with the imprint. She focused her thoughts through both the imprint and the fragment of the Inverse Harmonius on the back of her left hand. The barrier between realities parted much more easily with the imprint, giving her enough energy to focus on her friends. The chapel fluctuated around her, changing in appearance as she skimmed the surface of other realities in search of one that had a little skeleton carrying a dimensional analyzer, a device she'd powered with a bit of her own stream energy.

She was still zoning in on her errant flux energy when he felt a bony hand grab her arm. Before she could respond, another bony hand forced a book into her grip.

"Just in case." Papyrus's voice said before both hands slipped away.

Glen wasn't sure what to make of this, but pushed it to the back of her mind. She needed to focus, as the sensation of her flux was very faint due to the miniscule size of the analyzer. After a few minutes, however, she felt its presence. Closing her eyes, she focused all of her mind on that reality and braced her self as the universe shifted around her.


	2. Chapter 1 - Knock-Knock

**Chapter 1**

 **Knock-Knock**

Sans adjusted his fuzzy blue earmuffs before he manipulated the controls of the camera crane. As the camera rose through the floor of the studio, the assembled crowds let out a roar of anticipation for the coming show. Fortunately, the earmuffs blocked out most of the outside noise, allowing Sans to listen via earpiece (attached to the side of his head via sticky putty) as a loud energetic voice said, "Live from the Underground and broadcast around the world, welcome to this exciting episode of Mettatonight!"

Lights flared around the stage, revealing a backdrop of a moonlit city and a large desk with a garishly pink top. Sans focused his camera on Mettaton as the glamorous robot strutted across the stage and gave a few poses to his audience before sitting down at the desk. To the side of the stage, a small band played his entrance theme, a snappy jazz number that even Sans admitted was quite catchy.

"Thank you, darlings!" Mettaton said, pausing momentarily to blow a kiss to the audience. "We've got a great show for you tonight. Happycat and the Niscreamers will be here a bit later playing their latest hit song, 'Rageburger', followed by the comedy duo known as DoubleDrake. After that we'll see Let's Players and internet personalities Chris and Andy Vaughn of Scumm of the Earth, who've brought a sneak preview of their new game, 'Phasmophobia III: In Search of the Wooly Booger', and finally the Ebott Buttercup dancers will be by to charm us with their delightful footwork. Before that, however, we have an extra special guest here to show us a few clips from what will no doubt be the hit movie of the year, 'Mettacrisis: Metal heroine unplugged'. Ladies, gentlemonsters, and humans, let's give a big hand to Mettatette!"

Sans shifted his camera to record the arrival of Mettatette. Once nothing more than the broken head of the Mettaton from the universe Sans found himself in after a strange force separated him and Glenda Soleil Adams in mid-shortcut, the Alphys of their current universe had rebuilt the entertainment android. It was a surprise to everyone when it turned out Mettaton requested a female body. Sans was supportive; it was her body after all.

Mettatette's curvy form strolled casually across the stage in a stunning red dress, taking time to pose just as much as her host before taking a seat beside the desk.

"Looking beautiful, darling!" Mettaton said, leaning over and giving her a kiss on the cheek.

"Oh, stop it, you." Mettatette said, her metal cheeks turning slightly gold.

To the surprise of almost no one, Mettaton and Mettatette quickly became a couple. Some were bothered, seeing as they were technically the same person, but Sans thought it was hilarious. He'd often joked about his own Mettaton only finding love in a mirror, and it seemed to him that's exactly what happened.

"Darling, you simply must tell us about your exciting new movie." Mettaton said. "After that magnificent preview, we're positively agog with excitement!"

"Well, I can't say too much, but this is a thrilling tale of adventure and excitement about a traveler from another dimension who finds herself in a world that's all too familiar. There's action, sword-fights, magic, and inter-dimensional horrors and of course a gorgeous heroine."

The studio laugh almost overpowered the pre-recorded laugh track. Most of the peoples of UNDR-Ground Studios found the antics of the two robots quite funny, and even the most jaded critic had to admit that both bots benefitted from the other's presence. Their relationship had a sort of competitiveness to it that made both constantly push themselves. Sometimes this led to fantastic ideas, other times it made them make public fools of themselves. Regardless of this, their dedication to giving their all was inspiring to humans and monsters alike.

The rest of the show went as it always did. The band was a little shaky in the middle, and DoubleDrake had to work a bit to warm up the crowd, but the Phasmophobia demo went over really well, as did the action-packed clips of Mettatette's movie. Sans couldn't help but smile as he watched the preview; there was definite influence from their own escape from the reality Glen's dimensional analyzer identified as F-83, most notably the race from Dreemurr Fortress with the ichor closing in after them, only with Mettatette helping along Wolfred rather than Sans assisting Grillby.

Sans didn't mind. The unpleasant events of that other reality were now a fading memory in comparison to the world they'd discovered in reality H-7. It was something of a shock to discover that the Underground of that dimension was in fact a massive recording studio, and that the barrier had already been destroyed following a very publicized dance battle between Frisk the Fantastic and a mysterious bossun known as 'Petalstorm'.

With the barrier gone, the UNDR-Ground was able to transmit to the entire planet. Much to their delight, the planet loved the monsters often off-beat television programs. Monstermania swept across the world, and within a few short months, UNDR-Ground was the next Hollywood. Sans glanced around the audience, noting quickly that humans made up more than half of those seated.

"Aaaand that's a wrap." Said a voice in Sans's earpiece. Nodding, Sans shut off his camera and lowered the crane. He slipped out of the chair only to find himself waiting below.

"Heya, buddy." Said ComicSans, lowering his glasses. "Good show, eh?"

"Couldn't tear my eye-sockets away." Sans replied while pulling the earpiece from his head. "You gotta hand it to Mettaton; there's nothing artificial about his success."

"Ha!" Sans said, "And some people thought he was all droid up."

They shared a chuckle at the pun for a moment before Sans asked, "I heard they had you lined up for the stand-up portion of the show. Something happen?"

"Eh, wasn't feelin' it." ComicSans said with a shrug. "Besides, I'm getting ready for a big tour on the surface. Sans's Skele-TON of laughs!"

Sans chuckled and shook his head. "You'll knock 'em dead."

"Thanks." ComicSans said. "Y'know, you could come along; I'm sure we could think of some pretty cool pranks to play, seeing as we look almost alike."

"Thanks, but no thanks." Sans said. "I'd rather stay UNDR-Ground for the time being.

"I had a feelin'." After a moment of silence, ComicSans said, "C'mon. Let me buy you lunch."

"Sure." Sans said, following his alternate self through the now-deserted audience seating.

While most of the area that was New Home in Sans's home dimension was devoted to the UNDR-Ground studios, Snowdin and Waterfall were pretty much just the same, save for the occasional billboard for shows such as Undyne's True Knight Challenge, Teatime with the King, and the ever popular Temmieworld, a gripping fantasy drama of romance, bloodshed, and adventure.

They walked through Waterfall, stopping occasionally when ComicSans was recognized by a fan. Sans was glad his alternate self was such a popular celebrity, but it always bothered him that no one ever seemed to confuse Sans and Comic Sans when they looked almost alike. Sure, ComicSans had is burgundy suit and loud polka-dot tie while Sans kept his usual blue coat and track pants, but their faces were a perfect match. They'd even traded clothes once, and still people spotted Comic Sans easily. ComicSans himself found it hilarious, and claimed it was simply odd luck.

Snowdin was always a pleasant sight to Sans's eyes. UNDR-Ground's Snowdin was larger, of course, as the humans helped expand the city. Still, it was home. The snow-covered homes and smiling townsfolk brought to mind those of Sans's home, long since dead. Sans still felt a pang of regret for the deaths in his universe, but it helped to know that those monsters he once thought lost forever still lived on in other dimensions.

Grillby's had changed as well, though just a bit; with a larger bar and expanded room for customers, the quaint little diner was now a full-sized restaurant that was everyone's favorite place to eat, so much so that several branches had been built both UNDR-Ground and on the surface in Ebott and other monster-heavy towns. Despite this, there was always a stool by the bar for Sans. In fact, there was already a Sans at the bar when Sans and ComicSans entered Grillby's.

Appearing a little heftier than either Sans or ComicSans, NegaSans wore a black coat with a fur-lined hoodie and his teeth were filed to points. In his own dimension, NegaSans was essentially a stooge for an equally unpleasant alternate version of Papyrus. Essentially cowed and bullied into helping his brother search for humans and punish monsters believed to lack loyalty to their King, NegaSans was now every bit as friendly as (if a bit more foul-mouthed than) his alternate counterparts, mostly owing to the fact that NegaPapyrus, was only a head, his body having gotten stuck and abandoned back in universe F-83. NegaPapyrus was still quite abusive, but his intimidation factor was severely diminished by the old bird cage he currently called home.

"Hey! My brothas!" NegaSans said, his pointy smile wide as he waved at Sans and ComicSans.

"Hey, Goldie." ComicSans said, referencing his alternate self's single golden tooth, "What are you up to?"

"Oh, just grabbin' a bit of lunch before heading back to the studios." NegaSans said. "We're gonna be recording a new album before the tour starts."

"Right on." Sans said, bumping knucklebones with NegaSans. NegaSans had become a successful standup as well, though he differentiated his work with a penchant for foul language and excessive dark humor. Still, he hit a niche and obviously enjoyed the popularity he received.

"You should come with." NegaSans said, but Sans shook his head.

"Sorry," he said, "Next time maybe. Say, your brother doing okay?"

NegaSans snorted before finishing off his bottle of mustard. "Same as ever. Still making threats. He's been pissed since the referendum came back."

"Well, he should hardly be surprised they rejected his request for a new body." ComicSans said, "I mean, after what happened in your dimension. You ask me, he's lucky he's here at all after all the monsters he killed."

"You mean he should quit while he's a head?"

The three Sanses laughed at this.

As the laughter faded, ComicSans said, "He's lucky you're looking out for him. I would've left him."

"No you wouldn't." Sans said.

ComicSans sighed and nodded. "Yeah, you're right. Still, it's hard to think of him as being Papyrus; he's so different from my real brother."

"Same here." Sans agreed. "Still, I think you're doin' a good thing, taking care of him. I mean, there's always a chance he'll come around."

"And until then, I'll keep him safe." NegaSans rose from his chair. "I'll see you both later, yeah?"

"Sure thing." Comic Sans said as they all shook hands.

Once NegaSans departed, ComicSans said, "Nice to see them integrating so well."

"Definitely." Sans said, nodding. "I'll admit, I was a bit worried for awhile there. You wouldn't believe just how messed up things were in their dimension."

"This from the last survivor of his own reality." ComicSans said with a grin, only for his grin to fade at the look on his other self's face. "Sorry."

"Hmm? Oh, no, you're right." Sans said, forcing a chuckle. "Still, it was a human who took out most of my universe. We weren't killing ourselves."

After a moment of silence, Sans shook his head and said, "Geez, I aughtta wear black and change my name to Reaper if I'm gonna be this Grim. It's not like there haven't been good things too."

ComicSans started to reply when his gaze turned to the entrance of the restaurant. "Ha! She musta heard you."

Sans turned to see two young women with bodies of flame, one of green and the other of light blue. They talked like best friends as they approached the bar, seemingly unaware of the skeletons. The green woman gave the blue one a hug before walking behind the counter and picking up an apron. The blue one turned as though to leave, only to stop as the bright points of her eyes caught on the two skeletons.

With only a moment's hesitation, she threw her arms around Sans. "Hi, sleepybones!"

"Hi, Fuku. You're gonna have to tell me how you do that one day, you know."

"Do what?" She asked innocently.

"Tell us apart so easily."

ComicSans chuckled as the green woman approached him. "Two bottles of Grillby's best ketchup and an order of cappuccino for your doppelganger."

"Be out in a minute." She said, flashing a smile at ComicSans as Fuku sat at the stool beside Sans, her hand holding his as the flames of her cheeks brightened.

ComicSans leaned his elbow against the counter as he watched the two share a kiss. "I see you two are getting along well."

Sans felt his cheekbones grow warm, but only squeezed Fuku's hand tighter. "What can I say? I've got a burning desire."

Fuku giggled and gave him a kiss on the cheek. For some reason, this made ComicSans chuckle again.

"Ah, I'm gonna get outta here." ComicSans said, rising from his barstool. "Tell our hostess to put it all on my tab."

"You don't have to ..." Fuku began.

"You two don't need me around dampening the mood. Besides, I gotta go get packed for the tour. So many practical jokes and just one suitcase. I'll see you when we get back, Sans ... and remember, there's always a place for you. Three skeletons touring the world telling bad jokes ... smash hit if I ever heard of one."

"I'll keep it in mind." Sans said, shaking his alternate self's hand.

"You do that. Ma'am." With a final nod at them both, ComicSans departed.

Sans and Fuku moved to an empty booth so they could sit across from each other. As always, Sans found himself unable to speak for a moment. Something about Fuku just made his voice catch, if just for a second.

"I like the dress." He finally managed to say.

"Thank you." She said. "Miss Tori helped me pick it out, and Dad bought it for me."

"No kidding? How are they doing?"

To his surprise, Fuku's cheeks blushed brightly.

"No." He said, grin widening.

"Um, well ... they spent a lot of time together while their wounds were healing." Fuku said, her hand slowly sneaking across the table to grab Sans's hand, "And it's given them a lot of time to get to know each other. It's cute the way they've been trying to keep their relationship secret, but I get the feeling Dad's about to propose."

"Oh? And what's engaged your thoughts in that direction?"

"The ring he keeps hidden in the secret drawer of his nightstand." Fuku said, a knowing smile on her face. "I know it's not mom's. Oh, but don't tell anyone, okay?"

"Cross my sternum." Sans said, giving her hand a light squeeze. "What do the kids think about it?"

"Frisk and Asriel? They seem fond of Dad. He's really been pushing himself since we left the Underground." Fuku's gaze fell. "It reminds me of how it was before Mom died."

A moment of silence passed between them in memory of Fuku's mother, one of the victims of NegaPapyrus's ambition. Sans had never met Grillby's wife even in his own dimension. Grillby went quiet the first time Sans asked, so as far as Sans was concerned, that was that.

Missus Grillby was alive in the UNDR-ground, though Sans had yet to meet the flame woman. A famous romance writer, Missus Reiko Grillby spent most of her time on book tours, sometimes with her husband, who was known as both for his restaurant franchises and as a fantasy author. A few copies of his latest book, 'Lone Flame', sat beside the cash register, adorned with the picture of a fire elemental wearing cowboy clothes and driving a train through space.

"Hey." Sans said, leaning forward to place a gentle hand on her cheek. "Why don't we go for a walk?"

The smile reappeared on Fuku's face. "Sure, sleepybones. I'd like that."

The path to the Ruins was quite peaceful, at least in the summer. Undyne ran an obstacle course along the path during the winter. Remnants of the course were still visible as Fuku and Sans walked slowly along the path: half-formed puzzles, leftover streamers and decorations, and the occasional advertisement for one of the show's sponsors.

Despite this, the snow-covered paths were still quite pleasant to traverse even for Fuku, who'd long since gotten used to wearing waterproof shoes. Sans and Fuku walked arm-in-arm through the winter wonderland, idly exchanging gossip about the goings-on of the UNDR-Ground.

Sans navigated the conversation on automatic. It wasn't that he didn't care about Fuku or her conversation. Quite the opposite, in fact; Sans cared about her a great deal. That, ironically, was what kept him preoccupied.

Hearing about Grillby's impending engagement (Toriel willing, of course) had Sans considering his own long-term relationship goals. He cared a great deal for Fuku, and would readily admit to having considered making a proposal of his own, particularly in the last month. True, they'd only been together about half a year, and had their share of small spats, but being around Fuku almost made Sans forget about his own universe and all he'd lost there.

He'd told her all about it, of course. He'd told her everything, including Glenda and Sans. She even knew his real age, something only Papyrus knew. He'd even tried to tell her about Gaster, though the knowledge seemed to slip from her mind only minutes later. No one ever remembered Gaster.

So what was stopping him? The UNDR-Ground was a nice place. His fellow Sanses did well, and he'd almost certainly be just as popular if he followed their path. He could have a life there, marry Fuku, have little flaming skeleton kids. What was stopping him?"

"Hey."

Something in Fuku's tone broke through Sans's thoughts. He glanced up at her, smiling. "Yeah, Fu?"

She leaned against his arm. "Whatchu thinkin' about?"

"The past." Sans glanced up to see the door to the Ruins. The Ruins were converted into a museum, with the occasional video tour transmitted to boost tourism. It was closed at the moment for renovations, the door as locked as it had always been back in Sans's dimension. His smile widening, he said, "Did I ever tell you how I met the queen back in my world?"

"No." Fuku said, "I don't think so. Not in detail anyway."

"C'mon, I'll show you."

They walked down the path until they were beside the great door, half buried in snow. A sign hanging on the door simply read, "Closed for renovations".

"Back in my world, Papyrus and I patrolled Snowdin for humans. Well, Papyrus did; I usually just goofed off."

"Yeah, that sound about right." She said with a giggle.

Chuckling as well, Sans approached the door and said, "I usually didn't go this far. No need; no one had seen a human in ages. Well, one day I got bored and ended up walkin' all the way down here, where I see this door. That's when I figure it would be perfect for testin' out knock-knock jokes."

"Sounds about right." Fuku said, her eyes on the door.

"So I'm here knockin' em out one after the other, when suddenly I knock and someone else answers, 'Who's there?' I tell her, 'Dishes'. She says, 'Dishes who,' and I come back with 'Dishes a very bad joke!'"

Fuku giggled and shook her head, no doubt at her boyfriend's sense of humor.

"Yeah, she laughed too." Sans said. "Just howled with laughter. I keep going, and she just keeps laughing. She was the best audience I'd ever had!"

"And that was Queen Toriel?" Fuku asked, still smiling.

Sans nodded. He approached the door and said, "I didn't know at the time of course; she was just the woman I traded knock-knock jokes with whenever I went on patrol, until one day she didn't."

Fuku's smile faded. Sans told her about possessed Frisk, and how she'd killed most of the Underground. "I'm sorry."

"Eh, don't be." Sans said, squeezing her hand. "I guess part of me still misses those days. After the kid started killin' everyone, I never made it back there. Never got to say goodbye."

A few moments of silence passed before Fuku said, "Knock-knock."

"Who's there?"

"Yukon."

"Yukon who?"

"Yukon say goodbye now." Fuku said, her tone and gaze gentle as she squeezed his hands.

Sans looked at her for a long moment before smiling and rubbing her cheek. "Yeah, I guess I can."

He approached the door and put his hand over the Delta Ruin. He thought back to every joke, every single word that passed between him and the former queen

"Goodbye, old lady." He said before knocking twice.

Something about hearing the sound of his knocks on the door after so long had a soothing affect on Sans. Perhaps he was overthinking things; there was no reason to think Glenda would find him, not among an endless number of realities. The crystal with the imprint from his universe was gone, the one from that reality having been shattered by accident years ago during ComicSans's attempts to teach himself juggling. Maybe settling down and making a life for himself wasn't a bad idea.

He turned back to Fuku, who seemed to be waiting patiently.

"Um, Fuku," He said, rubbing the back of his skull. "I've been thinkin', maybe-"

The sound of two thuds against the door made him freeze in mid-sentence. Fuku grabbed Sans and pulled him back as the massive stone door fell forward and crashed into the snow-covered ground. They looked at the door for a moment before their gazes rose to the woman with the metal arms standing in the doorway to the Ruins.

"Who's there?" Glen asked, a crooked smile on her face.


	3. Chapter 2 - Reunion

**Chapter 2**

 **Reunion**

Sans, Fuku, and Glen sat at a table in one of the rooms in Grillby's meant for small groups and parties. It took an hour for Glen to tell of her adventure, and another for Sans and Fuku to tell her their own. By the time everything was said and done, everyone in the room had a new respect for the diversity of the multiverse.

"So." Fuku said after their stories were exchanged. "The Magnificent Sans, huh?"

"Just Magnificent to his friends." Glen said with a smirk.

Sans sighed, even though he had trouble suppressing a smile at the thought of an alternate version of himself with all the energy and drive of Papyrus. "And Pap ended up with the bunny shopkeeper. Never saw that one coming."

"Infinite dimensions, infinite possibilities." Glen said. "Certainly keeps you on your toes. Still, I didn't forget about you, Sans … or Jake for that matter. I don't suppose he's with you."

"The robot dog? Nah, haven't seen him since we took the shortcut out of my home dimension." Sans's smile faded. "You don't suppose …"

"He's dead? Nah, I doubt it. Probably in some reality where all the monsters live on a beach somewhere. I'm worried, of course, but I was only just able to find you as it was."

"Then your friend, this Jake," Fuku said, "He's lost forever?"

Glen shook her head. "Nah, I'm sure I can hone in on his energy signature if I focus long enough. I just need to find the actual fragment of the Inverse Harmonius before this think breaks."

She pulled the chunk of crystal with the imprint from one of Headache's compartments and set it on the table. "I'm guessing this is what you were going to show me back in your universe, given you've been dimension-hopping too."

"Yeah." Sans said with a nod, "But ours shattered after one use. How'd you keep yours from breaking?"

"Well, I didn't." Glen said, looking at the crystal. There were small cracks in the stone, nothing severe, but she knew it would only get worse. "It's only an echo of a rune; sooner or later, it'll break down. Lucky for me, I have an actual fragment of the Inverse Harmonius."

Glen placed her hand on the table, the fragment of the rune still glimmering.

"Wait," Fuku said, "If you had that all along, couldn't you have jumped back to your own dimension ages ago?"

"Er, no." Glen said, "There's not enough of it, you see. I could probably open a dimensional portal, but it would be totally random where I'd end up. With the rune fragment and the imprint, however, I have a little more control. I can search for things, like the dimensional analyzer I left with you, Sans."

"But I left the analyzer with Alphys," Sans said. "How'd ya find me?"

"Well, I got a bit lucky, to be honest." Glen admitted, rubbing the back of her head. "Arrived in the Ruins, found it in the middle of renovations, and did the only thing I really could do; head towards Snowden. When I heard knocking at the door, I had a hunch, and I was right."

Glen yawned and shook her head. "Mind if we pick this up tomorrow? Punching holes in reality's exhausting when you're part of the power supply."

"Sure thing, landlady." Sans said, rising to his feet. "I got a spare couch if you need a place to crash."

Glen nodded, stifling another yawn. "Sounds good."

Sans lived with his brothers in a nice house on the surface. Ebott was much larger in that dimension, largely due to the success of the UNDR-Ground studios. It was a thriving town, full of the hustle and bustle one might expect in a place that saw the rise and fall of so many dreams. The areas around the entrance to the Underground were devoted to the film industry, containing more studios, large sets, and warehouses full of props and elaborate special effects. The offices came next; bulky, boring buildings where films were cut, pasted, and edited to the director's satisfaction, and the many financial facets of the UNDR-Ground were maintained.

Beyond that was the city itself. Evoking the feel of a resort town, Ebott was a thriving community of humans and monsters working side-by-side. The center of the town proper was all commercial; retail stores and restaurants, as well as the massive Delta Mall. There's some housing here, mostly large block apartments, hotels, and a few penthouse suites for the high rollers.

The outlying sections of town were home to a large number of suburban neighborhoods. Here, the hectic activity of the urban center of Ebott was exchanged for a more peaceful, easygoing existance. It came as no surprise to Glen that Sans preferred living there instead of in the hustle and bustle of the city.

Sans's home was a modest affair, and very reminiscent of his home in Snowden. That was why Sans chose it; it reminded him of home. Two stories, not too big, and equipped with a kitchen and a bathroom (for human visitors), Sans's home wasn't huge, but it was comfortable.

"Wow." Glen said, glancing around the living room. "You keep a clean house."

Fuku let out a snort, probably because the only cleaning that went on in that house was done by her hands. Perhaps it was because Glen was there, but Sans suddenly felt a little guilty about leaving the housework for her.

"Bless you." Glen said before letting out a yawn. "G'night, you two."

Without another world, the Dreamer plopped down on the old green couch and closed her eyes. In moments, she was asleep.

"Wow." Sans said as Fuku pulled a fire retardant quilt from the armchair where she usually sat and spread it over Glen. "She wasn't kidding."

"Well, she did come here from another universe." Fuku said, carefully tucking the blanket around the sleeping Dreamer. "Frisk was asleep for a week after opening the way for us."

Sans watched Glen in silence until he felt Fuku slip her hand in his.

"Hey." She said, "Want to finish our walk while she rests?"

"Sure." He said, smiling at her. "Let's go to Dreemurr park."

Dreemurr park, founded by Lady Toriel, former Queen of the UNDR-Ground. She lived in a small cottage in the park, caring for the trees and bushes and giving friendly advice. It took some digging, but Sans found out that the separation of the King and Queen happened much as it had in his reality; the king wanted to harvest human souls of those who fell into the Underground. Toriel, sickened by the death of the first, left him to live in the Ruins. She wasn't around when the Underground became the UNDR-Ground, and though she occasionally was a guest on various history shows, she had no interest in the glamour that enthralled the rest of the monsters.

They saw her as they entered the park, the tall bossun lady huddled over a flower bed, carefully tending to the blooming flowers. She wasn't alone; six children were working and/or playing near her. Four were human, one was a cat boy and the sixth looked human aside from her bunny-like ears.

One of the children working around her glanced up and spotted the skeleton and his fiery lady. Soon six curious faces were staring with unabashed curiosity. The bunny girl's ears stood up straight, probably reflexively.

Eventually, Toriel noticed her entourage were staring and turned to look at the lovers herself. "Oh! Children, it's rude to stare."

Six sets of eyes quickly looked away, each occasionally darting back to Sans and Fuku. Toriel gave them an apologetic smile and a shrug. Sans chuckled, but said nothing until they were away from the family.

"Sweet of her to care for so many." Fuku said, the flames of her hands licking harmlessly at Sans's skeletal fingers.

"She's a good mother. It's a shame what happened to her own kids."

They walked in silence for a few minutes before Fuku let out a sigh. She glanced around until she spotted one of the park's many benches before pulling Sans to the bench.

"Sans." Fuku said, squeezing his hand. "Don't go."

Sans's eye-sockets widened. "What?"

"I … I don't want you to go." Fuku said, her cheeks blushing bright. "With Glen, I mean. And don't say you weren't thinking about it; I know you, and I know you think Glen can help you find a way to save your brother. Tell me I'm wrong."

Sans looked at her for a long moment before finally saying, "I guess she has had a bit of an effect on me. Half a year ago, I felt hopeless; like nothing I did mattered anymore. She stopped that, and even managed to save me in the process. Honestly, I feel that I owe her something."

"I know." Fuku said, "Believe me, I'm glad you met her. If you hadn't, you'd be dead, and the monsters of my dimension would be worse off. It's just …"

"Yeah?" He asked.

She stared at him for a long moment before saying, "I love you, Sans. I love your kindness, I love your smile, I even love your puns. I know it's selfish, but I don't want to lose you."

It took a few moments for Sans to reply, "I know. I mean, you know I know, and you know."

"I know what?"

"That … well ..." Sans felt his cheekbones grow warm, quite a feat seeing as he had no blood.

"Yes?" She pressed, taking both of his hands.

"That I love you too." Sans said, taking both of her hands in his. "You could say I've got a fire in my heart."

"Silly Sleepybones." She leaned forward and kissed him on the forehead.

The sound of birdsong, the rustling of leaves, and the distant whispering children were the only sounds between them for about a minute before Sans let out a sigh.

"I'm not going." He said.

Fuku's eyes went wide. "Really?"

"Truth be told, even Glen wasn't absolutely sure about saving Papyrus. It's all well and good to say anything's possible, but some things are damn near improbable. I could jump dimensions for hundreds of years, run into hundreds of Papyrus who are almost the same, but the truth is that my Papyrus is dead. He died trying to help. If he were around, I think he'd want me to stay too."

"Sans …"

They shared a brief kiss before the sound of giggling made them pull away.

Toriel shushed her adopted children and said, "Come along, children, it's time for dinner.

Fuku and Sans kissed again once the bossun woman and her children departed, longer this time.

"But I am going to try my best to help her while she's here." Sans said as he sat back. "I owe her that much."

"Of course." Fuku said, "She looked exhausted. Maybe Alphys can-"

The intro bars to AFI's 'Girl's Not Gray' broke the tranquil silence of the park. Fuku quickly pulled her phone from her skirt pocket and answered it.

"Dad, hi!" She said. "I'm out with Sans. He's ... entertaining an old friend. Oh? Oh really? Hang on, I'll check."

Looking at Sans, Fuku asked, "Are you joining us for dinner tonight?"

"Better not." Sans said, though he couldn't help but be disappointed; Grillby was a good cook. "With Glen and all."

"I could see if dad minds you bringing her."

Sans shook his head. "Nah, wouldn't want to impose. Besides, no telling when she'll wake up."

"He can't make it." Fuku told her father. "Uh-huh. Uh-huh. Um, sure, I can help if you really need me. All right. All right! I'll be home in a few minutes. All right. Bye, dad."

Sliding the phone back into her skirt pocket, Fuku said, "Sounds like he's preparing something special tonight."

"Maybe he's gonna pop the question to Tori." Sans said, grin widening. "See that? How can I leave when we've gotta make sure they make it to the wedding without having nervous breakdowns."

Fuku laughed and rose to her feet, Sans standing up a moment later. They shared a hug and another kiss before Fuku left the park. She stopped as she reached the outer sidewalk and called out, "Don't you go disappearing on me!"

"And have you get all hot under the collar? Not a chance."

With a final giggle, Fuku departed. Sans stared after her for a long moment before he realized he had an even sillier smile than normal on his face. Shaking his head, he walked toward the other entrance. There was a friend he needed to see.


	4. Chapter 3 - Build It

**Chapter 3**

 **Build It**

Alphys was an oddity even in the world of the UNDR-Ground. Unlike her counterpart in Sans's home dimension, the UNDR-Ground's Alphys was less of a scientist and more of a tinker. Responsible for making special effects, rigging stunts, and building things she simply found interesting, her show, simply called 'Build It!' was more of a games show where challengers were given access to her junkyards and a task to complete. The contestants were graded both on speed of construction and completion of the goal and for their design. At the end of the season, the top contestants were tasked with building mechs and pitting them against each other.

She spent much of her free time in her junkyard, always tinkering and working, be it on her own projects or on some prop that had been requested. While on the surface she seemed to have no connection with the Undyne of the UNDR-Ground, Sans noticed that some of the inventions Alphys showed off during her show ended up in Undyne's Royal Knight Challenge.

The Junkyard was situated near Waterfall. Trash from the world above still had a tendency to fall down there, even more so now that a thriving city sat on top of it all. As Sans passed the rusted gates into the junkyard proper, he found himself staring at Alphys's Workshop. Looking for all intents and purposes like a starship from a science fiction movie, Alphys's workshop sat in the center of the mounds of garbage, an ever growing construct born from the lizard woman's imagination.

Sans approached the ramp that led to the main entrance when he spotted his UNDR-Ground self standing outside the entrance with his brother. The two were having an argument ... that is to say, Papyrus was yelling while ComicSans watched with a bemused smile.

"What are you even doing here anyway, you lazy-bones?" Papyrus said, his hands on his hips. "You're flight leaves in half an hour! Are you even packed?"

"Eh, you know me, Paps. I just like to," ComicSans grinned wider. "Wing it."

Papyrus seethed at the pun as Sans approached. "You're too reckless, Sans! What if you miss the flight? Think of how sad all your fans will be!"

"They'll be gust heartbroken." Sans said, now standing behind Papyrus.

ComicSans chuckled as Papyrus rounded on Sans. "Don't encourage him!"

"Sorry, Paps." Sans said.

Seemingly mollified by his sincere tone, Papyrus said, "That's all right, brother. I've already forgiven you. Say, where is your friend? The blue fiery one?"

"Fuku? She went home to have dinner."

"She say what they're eating?" ComicSans asked.

Sans shrugged. "Blazed chicken?"

"Ugh!" Papyrus said, shaking his head. "And I thought it was bad having one pun-loving brother!"

"Ah, you know you love us." ComicSans said, giving his brother a playful punch in the arm.

"I suppose I do." Papyrus said, glowering at him. "That doesn't mean I have to be happy about it."

"Cheer up, Paps." Sans said, patting Papyrus's other arm. "You got a show today?"

"Sadly no; I'm still running my highlight episodes while I learn how to prepare new and exciting dishes. I'm working on an interesting pasta variant known as Gnocchi."

"Sounds like an interesting way to pasta time." Said ComicSans.

Papyrus let out a groan. "Really, brother, must you?"

Winking at ComicSans, Sans said, "It wasn't soba-d."

"Sans!"

"Well, they do call me the Champon of puns."

"Udon't say?"

"Enough!" Papyrus shouted before stomping away from the Two Sanses.

Chucking, Sans turned to ComicSans and asked, "Say, why are you here?"

"Hmm? Oh, right." ComicSans said, brushing off his suit. "Out-of-towner caught me on the way out asking to see Alphys. I can always take a shortcut to the airport, so I figured why not?"

"Out of towner? What's she want with Alphys?"

"Probably wants to be a contestant. You shoulda seen how much tech she had on her."

Something about that statement raised a red flag in the depths of Sans's skull. "Her name wouldn't happen to be Glen, would it?"

ComicSans nodded. "Right in one. Nice enough lady for a human. Fan of mine too, apparently, seeing as she recognized me on sight."

"It might be a little more complicated than that." Sans paused, an idea forming in his mind. "Say, there's something I've been wanting to try. You got another suit handy?"

ComicSans vanished, only to appear a moment later with an identical suit on a hanger. Sans quickly hurried behind a stack of garbage and changed into the suit. Now feeling over-dressed, he rejoined his other self.

"Wanna prank the visitor?"

"Something like that." Sans said. He quickly told ComicSans about Glen. ComicSans already knew about Sans's doomed universe, but Sans had yet to go into detail on the human who saved him. As such, ComicSans was quite surprised to find the person he'd helped had in turn saved his other self's life.

"Wow." ComicSans said, shaking his head. "Heavy stuff. If I'd known, I'd have offered her lunch."

After a moment of silence, ComicSans asked, "That's why you aren't going with us?"

"It was, yes."

ComicSans raised an eye ridge. "Was?"

"We'll talk about it when you get back from your tour."

Grin widening, ComicSans clapped his hand on Sans's shoulder. "Three Sanses spreading laughter. Think of the venues! Think of the ratings!"

"Think of the puns." Sans said, his grin matching that of ComicSans.

Further conversation was cut short as the metal doors slid open, revealing Glen and Alphys. Alphys wore a thick leather apron with pockets and a belt laden with tools, with a oil-stained short-sleeve shirt and pants beneath. As she walked with Glen out of the entrance to her workshop,

"Fascinating device." Alphys said, holding the dimensional analyzer in her hands. "Where did you learn to make this?"

"An old scientist from a space-faring civilization taught me the basics. They experimented with dimensional travel briefly, but found it too unstable." Glen shrugged. "Still, they were a bit busy trying to save their people from extinction. Maybe you'll have more luck."

"Thanks, Glen." Alphys said, shaking Glen's hand. "You've definitely given me plenty to work on."

"Well, just remember to be careful. We've run into that ichor stuff in three separate dimensions already, and that's probably not even the worst of what might be out there."

Alphys chuckled, drawing a curious look from Glen. Shaking her head, Alphys said, "I was just thinking of Undyne fighting inter-dimensional creatures. She'd like that, I think."

Chuckling herself, Glen said, "Yeah, she probably would. Good thing she has you to keep her in control."

Alphys blushed. "Well, I-I guess … oh! Sans! Er, and Sans!"

"Hey." Both Sanses said in unison.

Glen glanced at each skeleton for a moment before focusing on Sans. "Heya, buddy. Sorry to run off like that. The local you was nice enough to-"

Letting out a sigh, Sans said, "How?"

"Pardon?"

"How'd you know I was me?"

Glen raised an eyebrow at Sans. "Is this a trick question?"

"We're wearing the same clothes, and as far as I can tell I look exactly the same as he does." Sans said, crossing his arms. "You barely even looked at him before focusing on me. How did you know?"

"Uh, intuition?" Glen said uncertainly. "Look, it's not important. Say, where's Fuku?"

"Don't change the subject."

"I'm just curious. I mean, she's the reason you're going to tell me you can't come with me, right?"

Sans's eye sockets widened in surprise. "What? How did you-"

Glen rolled her eyes. "Come on, Sans, give me some credit. I saw the looks you gave each other, and I've been around enough couples to know the signs. To be honest, I kinda saw this coming."

Sans let out a sigh and rubbed the top of his head, feeling awkward. "I'm sorry, Glen, but-"

"You don't have to explain." Glen told him, putting a hand on his shoulder and giving him a kind smile. "I'm happy for you, man. And don't go worrying about me; I always make it out in the end somehow."

"I believe it." Sans said. "I still feel like I'm abandoning you."

"Well, don't." Glen said. "I set out on this adventure of my own free will. You got pulled along for the ride; you have every right to get off if you want. If it makes you feel any better, you've been a great help, especially with the information about Asriel. Not sure how I'll get my hands on a bossun soul without violence, but I've got a few ideas that might work out"

"Something to replace a soul?" ComicSans asked, his hands in his pockets. "Color me curious."

Glen shrugged. "Well, I don't know if it exists in this reality, but if I can find my way to Nirn, I might be able to use the stored energy of a soulstone. You can buy them in practically every magic shop there. I've heard rumors that heartstones can absorb a soul's worth of energy over time, though finding them on Vinta can be tricky. Still, it's not like I'd be starting from nothing. One of the advantages of wandering around so much."

Shaking her head, Glen said, "After I find the Inverse Harmonius shard … and Jake, of course. Creator only knows how Finn's doin' without his big brother. Still, anything with as much power as the Inverse Harmonius should be simple to track, especially since it'll resonate with the fragment and the imprint in the crystal."

"You don't sound too convinced of that last bit." ComicSans said.

"That's because if I've learned anything, it's that nothing is ever simple." Glen sighed. "But I'll cross that bridge when I come to it. I've also got the whole ichor thing to look into. I've already given Alphys a copy of my research including the location of a few lumite deposits that should come in handy should the ichor show up here, but that crud is showing up everywhere. I may be wrong, but I suspect the source might be bigger than any one dimension. If I'm right, the sooner I find it and deal with it, the safer everyone will be."

"Sounds like you'll be busy." ComicSans said. "Can't say I envy you, but sounds like it'd be a blast to watch. You should grab on of those headstrap camera things Undyne makes her gladiators wear."

"Yeah, that's what Undyne said." Glen said, pulling a black headband with a small mounted camera on it from her pocket.

A loud beeping noise from ComicSans's watch made Glen and Sans look his way.

"Welp," ComicSans said, checking his watch, "Looks like it's about time for me to get moving. Later, bro … and good luck, Miss Glen."

"Have a fun tour." Glen said, she and Sans waving as ComicSans walked nonchalantly away from Alphys's workshop. He waved back before slipping behind a pile of garbage, presumably to take a shortcut to his flight. Sans didn't blame him; he wasn't comfortable using shortcuts in front of people either. In front of the other Sanses, sure, but not in front of anyone else.

"I should probably go too." Glen said, slipping the headband around her brown hair.

"Hang on." Sans said, reaching out to her. "There's no reason to run off right away. I mean, you just got here, and you've only had a few hours of rest."

"Well," Glen said, rubbing the back of her head, "I suppose I could use some time to rest. I've pretty much had my nose to the grindstone the past few months … and I would like to run a few theories by you about the ichor."

"See? No reason to run off half-cocked. We can get Paps to whip us up some dinner, talk about your theories and plan of investigation, and you can get a full night's rest before running off."

"All right!" Glen said, "You talked me into it. You can tell me all about you and Fuku over dinner."

Sans opened his mouth to make a joke about her being nosy when his cell phone vibrated. He moved to grab it, but Glen was just a bit faster.

"Fuku Fire." Glen said with a grin. "Speak of the devil."

"Well, you got the flames part right." Sans said. He reached for the phone, but stopped when he saw the smile on Glen's face fall, leaving a look of shock and concern.

"Glen?" Sans asked, worried by the Dreamer's reaction, "Glen, what's wrong?"

She held up the phone so he could see the picture. It was Fuku, along with Asriel and Frisk, all looking frightened as they were held aloft by glowing blue strings trailing from the red and yellow fingers of a skeleton who would've looked identical to Sans if it weren't for his black bones and clothes; his wild red, yellow, and blue eyes; and the strange glitch-like patterns dotting his body punctuated with white letters all spelling the same thing: ERROR.


	5. Chapter 4 - Cat's Cradle

**Chapter 4**

 **Cat's Cradle**

Glen and Sans raced through the UNDR-Ground, drawing more than a few curious looks from humans and monsters alike. There was no question of using a shortcut; it was in a shortcut that Sans and Glen first encountered the strange black skeleton, and while the idea still seemed wild to Sans, he couldn't shake the feeling that his dark doppleganger had somehow sabotaged the shortcut somehow.

They reached the surface in record time, only to rush through the urban parts of the city. Sans levitated over traffic, Glen following by leaping over the cars with her Tek-boots despite honks of protest from the cars whose roofs on which she landed. They didn't talk; that would simply be a waste of time they already may not have.

There were three Grillbys in the Ebott area; the first was in Snowden, where it had been since the time the time of the barrier. The second was in the urban part of Ebott, and was a massive restaurant capable of seating over a hundred people. The third was in the suburbs of Ebott, and was more of a diner, much as the original Grillby's, though larger to accommodate both humans and monsters. Grillby (at least the one from the ichor-infested universe) lived in a renovated old house directly behind the restaurant proper along with his daughter.

Sans narrowly beat Glen to the slightly ajar front door before coming to a halt. He glanced at Glen, who nodded and immediately crouched down and moved quickly around the side of the house. Nodding more to himself than anything, Sans pushed the door open and stepped inside the Grillby Household.

It was a fine old home, once home to some rich aristocrat who kept it as a vacation home before a sudden financial loss caused him to abandon the home. Grillby and Fuku had done a good job cleaning up the place, though they were still in the process of painting it. The whole house was permeated with the scent of cinnamon with just an edge burnt wood, both normal smells around fire elementals. Normally, the smell brought Sans some comfort, but he only felt tense as he stepped around the empty cans in the half-painted hallways and approached the kitchen.

He slowly approached the ajar door and peered through the crack only to see Grillby tied to a chair by the strange blue threads in the center of the room. Sans slowly pulled the door open to see the small forms of Frisk and Asriel tied and gagged as well. Both of the children kicked and struggled, watched by the helpless eyes of a bound and gagged Toriel lying on the floor of the kitchen beside Fuku.

Fuku's eyes widened as they darted to Sans, making him fight the urge to rush into the room. There was no questioning that it was a trap, especially seeing as ErrorSans sent a picture. It didn't matter, however; seeing his friends captured like that wasn't something he could just walk away from.

"All right." Sans said, stepping into the kitchen. "I know you're here, you know I know you're here, so why don't you just cut to the chase and tell me about the bone you have to pick with me?"

There was no response. Most of those captured tried to speak through their gags to no avail. Sans took another step toward Fuku, this time saying, "If you think you're gonna catch me off-guard, you're way off. The only way this could be a more obvious trap is if you'd written in on the diner sign."

Still there was no response. Shrugging, Sans approached Fuku and crouched by her side.

"Are you okay?" he asked, reaching out to caress her cheek even as his other hand worked at untying her bonds.

Just as she nodded, Sans felt the familiar pull of a large amount of magic in the local area shifting. He didn't even look around as he moved his hand from Fuku's cheek to the direction of the magical source, the Gaster Blaster forming in a fraction of a second and firing a blast of blue energy at the black skeleton who had just appeared in the doorway behind Sans. The blast knocked the front door clear off its hinges and sent it flying across the street. As the light faded, however, there was no sign of Error.

"Something tells me that was way too easy." Sans said, eyes darting around for some indication of where his darker self was.

A blue thread snaked through the air toward Sans. Fuku tried to shout through her gag, but Sans was already moving. He darted out of the thread's reach, as well as the next four that seemed to anticipate his dodge. The threads came close, but not close enough to wrap around him. Another thread approached Sans's back, only for a glowing bone to slam into it and pin it to the floor inches from Fuku.

The threads came from all directions; while Error doubtless directed them, they gave no indication of Error himself.

"Don't tell me you're shy." Sans said, looking about for some sign of his attacker. "I mean, you're clearly me, and I know how much we love an audience."

"That's why they're here." Came the reply. Sans felt a shudder run up his spine; it was his voice, yet there was something else there, something … unhinged.

"Uh-huh. And you're trying to pick a fight with me because …?"

"Because I'll have to deal with you sooner or later, abomination, and I'd found it's always easier to do it sooner and get it out of the way."

Threads shot from every direction toward Sans only for Sans to vanish. He only intended to be gone for an instant, but the moment he slipped into the shortcut, he found himself staring at the wild-eyes black Sans.

The picture had not been entirely accurate, as the other Sans wasn't black, at least not all the time; his body colors seemed to invert periodically, reminding Sans of a television screen flickering. Aside from the colors, the blue threads extending from his fingertips, and the random presence of the word 'ERROR' flashing spots across the other Sans's body as well, the other Sans looked identical to Sans; same hoodie jacket, same track shorts, same slippers. He had the same grin as well, though there was definitely a maniacal edge to Error's eyes, possibly owing to the bright red and yellow hues.

Seeing surprise in the wild eyes of his other self, Sans realized Error had been hiding in the shortcut all along, sending his strange blue tendrils through while remaining hidden. More blue threads appeared from the yellow tips of Error's fingers, but Sans was already moving. He dodged the threads with ease and grabbed Error's arm. Fury registered on the black skeleton's skull as Sans pulled them both out of the shortcut and back into Grillby's kitchen.

"DON'T TOUCH ME!" Error shouted, yanking his arm from Sans's grasp. A telekinetic blast knocked Sans across the kitchen and over Fuku and Toriel's heads. Sans caught himself with his own telekinesis and landed easily on the table before turning to face Error, another Gaster Blaster forming above him.

The two Sans's stared at each other for a long moment, the room strangely silent as they attempted to stare each other down.

A grin slid across Error's face. "Well, you're quick enough, but you've left your weak point exposed."

"Shows what you know!" Sans said, "I finished off all of Grillby's ketchup a week ago!"

Blue threads shot across the room. Sans tensed his legs to dodge only to realize he wasn't the target; the threads wrapped around Fuku and lifted her from the ground.

"Fuku!" Sans said, stepping forward.

"Lose the Blaster or your old flame's going to be a pile of ash!" Error snapped.

Sans stared into Fuku's eyes for a moment before lowering his hand. The Gaster Blaster vanished with a disappointed groan.

"That's better." Error said, motioning to Fuku. She rose in the air, suspended by the blue threads now wrapping around her waist. "I've taken out more of us than I can remember, ended more of these false realities than I care to count, so I can tell you with some authority that struggling doesn't help; it just makes it take longer and makes the people of this reality suffer. I can make it quick, though; I can end all of you, all of this … this lie in an instant."

"What's stopping you?" Sans said, inwardly urging Glen to hurry.

"Two things; the first involves your little friend over there." Error gestured to Frisk and Asriel. Blue threads slipped around Frisk and lifted her from the ground, causing Asriel and Toriel to struggle all the fiercer to escape their bonds. "You see, Frisk here's the one with determination. She's the one with the power to reset and make things go the way she wants. I take that, and dismantling this place is a breeze."

"So what's stopping you?" Sans said, trying not to call attention to the fact he'd just noticed Fuku slowly moving her hands behind her back. A quick glance by Toriel showed that the bone he'd used to pin one of the blue threads was gone. "You didn't need to call me here to kill the kid."

"No, I don't." Error said, spinning Frisk around idly with the threads extending from his fingers. "But imagine my shock when I catch the fallen child only to find that she doesn't have the dominant determination. Someone else in this reality has surpassed her, someone who doesn't belong here."

Error's smile slowly turned into a frown. "Any idea who that might be, Sans? Any idea who might have the dominant determination?"

"I dunno." Sans said. "This universe's Papyrus? He knows over a thousand ways not to make spaghetti."

ErrorSans chuckled for a moment before seeming to catch himself. "No, it's someone else … someone with an incredible amount of determination. We're talking enough to force reality to alter according to their will. Someone I think you know."

The door leading to the attached restaurant opened, revealing a large bossun man in a server's outfit. "Hey, boss, Tori … my Tori was wandering if I could-"

The bossun stopped speaking, his eyes sweeping over the scene, hesitating slightly over the alternate version of his wife.

"Uh, I take it this is a bad time." Asgore said, backing away and slipping back into the restaurant.

Sans and Error met each others gaze before shaking their heads in unison.

"So let me get this straight." Sans said, "You want this dominant determination person who's blocking Frisk, and if I help you find her, you won't destroy this reality."

"Oh, I'll destroy this reality anyway. That's my job; purging the chaos of the alternate universes." Error said with a carefree shrug. "But like I said, there's a quick and painless way, and a slow and agonizing way. Which would you prefer?"

Glen's head poked over the edge of the back door window just as Fuku looked up at Sans and nodded. Nodding back ever so slightly, Sans said, "It's no skin off my bones."

Error frowned and clenched his hand. The blue threads contracted … or they would have if Fuku hadn't brought Sans's now flaming bone across them, her and Sans's combined power cutting through the threads holding her in the air, leaving the remains encircling her slender waist. She landed on her feet and flung the flaming bone at Error, who quickly teleported away from her, right in front of the window by the back door.

"You cut my threads." Error said, sounding both horrified and fascinated at the same time. "No one's done that since that freak cyborg abomination."

"If I was you, I'd be more worried about her." Sans said, pointing behind Error.

"Huh?" Error turned just in time to see Glen crash through the window and tackle ErrorSans to the floor.

"Pop quiz, funny-face." Glen said, one metal hand wrapped around the base of Error's spine as though to choke him and the other raised to punch him in the face. "You just threatened an entire dimension of innocent people … monsters and humans … and pissed me off personally by attacking my friends. What do you think I'm going to do next?"

ErrorSans stared at Glen for a long moment, eye-sockets narrowing. "You! You don't belong here!"

"That makes two of us!" Glen reached back with a metal hand and grabbed the blue threads that were floating toward her neck and yanked on them. Error flew out from beneath her and smashed into the fark wall of Grillby's kitchen as though some invisible hand grabbed and yanked him as well.

"Huh." Glen said, looking at the now white strands clasped in Headache's metal hand. "Didn't expect that."

She gave the threads a shake; instantly, the threads binding Toriel, Grillby, Asriel, and Frisk also turned white, as did the remaining threads around Fuku's waist. The threads pulled away easily at Fuku's touch as she untied Toriel before moving to her father, Frisk, and Asriel.

Toriel was on her feet in instant, murder in her eyes as she advanced on Error. Fire erupted from her hands, engulfing Error. By the time the flames died down, there was no trace of Error. Fortunately, being Grillby's house, the flames caused no damage. Frisk and Asriel ran to her side, the bossun woman crouching down and hugging them fiercely before doing the same to a shaken Grillby.

"I'm sorry." Grillby said, "I wasn't strong enough to-"

"Shh." Toriel said, pulling him into a tight embrace. "The people I care most about are safe. That's all that matters."

"Tori …"

Sans sidled over to Glen and whispered, "He used a shortcut to run away.

"Yup." Glen said as she expected no less.

"I don't understand." Fuku asked, "Who was he? Why did he look like you, Sans?"

"I don't know." Sans confessed, "But this isn't over. You heard what he said; he wants to destroy this reality, and I'm guessing the 'quick way' is out. Question is, what's the slow way?"

"Look, last time I faced the destruction of a dimension, it took a heck of a lot of planning and ended up setting me back three thousand years just to stop it. That time, the bad guy shattered the barrier between the Dream Realm and mainstream reality."

"And that would've destroyed the universe?" Fuku asked, slipping her hand into Sans's.

"Basically, yeah. It basically froze everyone, mainstream and Dream Realm. Without the barrier, nothing could exist; the dimension's essentially stuck in that final moment. It can be restored, but it takes a lot of power." Glen's hand moved over her heart, her head bowing slightly. "A lot of power."

"So whatever he's gonna do, he needs power." Sans froze for a moment before snapping his fingers. "The Core! It powers Ebott and UNDR-Ground!"

Glen shook her head, a doubtful look on her face. "It's not just about power; you need a crack in reality to force open."

"Trust me, he's going to the Core." Sans said, thinking of Gaster. "C'mon! We'll need to take a shortcut to get there in time! Fuku-"

"I'm going with you." She said, squeezing his hand. "It took both of our magic to cut through those weird threads of his. You need me, so don't you dare tell me to stay here."

Sans glanced at Toriel, Grillby, Frisk, and Asriel. Grillby met his gaze; one look was all he needed to convey he too knew Error was still a problem. His eyes met Fuku's for a moment before he looked back to Sans and nodded in approval

"Wouldn't dream of it." Sans told Fuku as Glen took his other hand. "Now everyone hold on; glitchy bastard might be waiting for us in the shortcut, and I don't want to risk us ending up in three separate dimensions this time."


	6. Chapter 5 - An ERROR in Judgement

**Chapter 5**

 **An ERROR in Judgement**

They appeared in one of the corridors of the UNDR-Ground's Core. Having been expanded to meet the needs of both the UNDR-Ground and Ebott, it was a lot larger than that of the universes Sans previously occupied. Fortunately, he knew where Error would be heading.

The components of the Core's heart seemed to pulse in the central chamber. Easily ten-times the size of Glen, Sans, and Fuku combined, the Heart hung in the center of the chamber, above a ring of consoles. Countless cords extended from the top of the core like veins from a living heart, pumping energy to the UNDR-Ground, Ebott, and beyond.

Sans and Glen rushed to the consoles while Fuku stared up at the Heart in amazement. "Wow! I knew the Core powered the Underground, but I never actually saw it before."

"The power's just a side-process." Sans said, his finger bones tapping at the console. He let out a sigh of relief when the screen displayed the information he requested. "Power output's steady, no signs of disruption."

Glen didn't respond. Her brow furrowed as she read her screen, occasionally typing at the controls. Sans knew it was only a matter of time before she started asking uncomfortable questions. Had the Sans of her universe told her? No, if he had, she'd know about Gaster.

Sans was debating telling her outright when he felt an icy sensation fill his chest. His gaze fell to find his soul glowing bright through his shirt; slowly moving his shirt, he saw blue threads wrapped around it.

"Sans!" Fuku cried out, drawing Glen's attention from the console. Glen rose from her chair and looked around, calling out, "Let him go."

Sans felt his legs move against his will as he was jerked to his feet like a bad marionette. He was turned to face Glen before the same force raised his hand, pulling the power from him against his will to form a Gaster Blaster

"Duck!" He shouted with immense effort before his hand was brought down. The blast of energy shot from the skull, blasting the console where Glen sat into scrap. Fortunately, Glen had thrown herself out of the way.

"Coward!" Glen shouted. "What's wrong, freak? Can't fight your own battles?"

"Why put myself at risk?" Came Error's reply from behind Sans. Sans tried to turn his head, but found himself unable as Error put his hand on Sans's shoulder. "Besides, you might not be so willing to attack your friend.

A jet of flame shot over Sans's shoulder right into Error's face … or it would have had he not vanished only to appear so that Sans was between him and Fuku.

"Fuku Fire." Error said, his wild eyes looking at Sans. "From one of the Underfell universes, I believe. Strange love interest, don't you think?"

"What can I say?" Sans replied with much effort. "I've got a thing for warm personalities."

"And fiery tempers." Error said with a laugh. "And here I thought I'd seen every pairing there was. Toriel, Rahnna, Alphys, Undyne, Grillby, even Papyrus in universes where you aren't actually brothers …" a pained look passed over Error's skull. "Mostly."

Sans tried not to think about that last one too much. "Why are you doing this?"

"Controlling you? I already explained that."

"No." Glen said. "You didn't. You could've just left this reality and left us alone."

"And rise you spoiling more pure timelines?" Error said, "Not a chance."

Sans's arm shot toward Glen, sending a wave of glowing bones flying at her. Glen clamped her Headache units together, forming an energy shield that deflected the bones.

"What's this crap about a pure timeline?" Glen asked, cautiously moving toward Fuku.

"The child falls to the underground." Error said. "Through either mercy or Love, they leave it. I'm simplifying of course; it's much more complicated. There are roles to be played, situations that must be enacted properly."

Glen gave Error an incredulous look. "So you're saying anything that doesn't fit into one timeline isn't pure? That's just the way alternate dimensions are … er, whoever you are."

"I'm Sans."

"No," Glen countered, "You aren't. Even your so-called pure Sans would never-"

"Sans classic." Error replied automatically. A small hand puppet resembling Sans appeared in the air beside Error. Error's smile widened as he manipulated his strings to make both the puppet and Sans move. "I suppose you could call me Error. As for your friend here, he was a classic Sans … before you showed up."

Glen dove aside as a cluster of bones tore through the ground. "So, what? I should've just let him die?"

"I'm saying you shouldn't have interfered! There are enough aberrant realities without you and your dog sticking your nose where they aren't wanted!"

"Dog? Jake! What did you do with him?"

"He's fine." Error said, an annoyed look on his skull. "For the moment anyway. See, I can't destroy something without it's soul. I suppose you've hidden it somewhere."

"Excuse me?" Glen said.

"The dog's soul! I could feel the remnants within its metal body. Where did you hide it?"

"I … didn't." Glen said. "I've been looking for it myself."

Error stared at Glen for a few moments, giving Fuku, who had carefully edged over to get a better shot at Error, a chance to fire another jet of flame at Error. The tip of the flame caught the edge of Error's sleeve before the dark Sans teleported away. Feeling his hand raise, summoning a Gaster Blaster at his girlfriend, Sans struggled with everything and just managed to stop himself.

"There it is again." Error whispered into Sans's ear. "Such determination in a monster, let alone us … very strange."

Error raised his own hand, only for Glen to shout, "Wait!"

"These alternate universes are like a nasty cold; they just keep spreading and spreading. They're abominations, and I'm the only one doin' something about them."

"Only abomination here is you, buddy." Glen said.

"Yeah." Error replied, smile widening. "But I'm Abomination number one!"

Error clenched his fist and pulled his hand down, forcing Sans to do the same. The blast of energy seemed to engulf Fuku.

"No!" Sans cried out, only to feel the threads binding his soul release; they were still there, but they no longer compelled him to move. He rounded on Error to find his darker self looking at him with an expression of puzzlement. Glen slid to a halt behind him, boots still glowing and Fuku in her arms.

"Thing about changing reality," Glen said with a grin as she helped Fuku to her feet, slipping the luminescent strings from her waist. "It leaves a mark on reality that leads right back on you."

"What?"

Grinning, Glen flicked the strings like a child attempting to crack a whip. Error went flying, the expression on his face making it clear that he had not expected that. Sans felt the bands around his soul loosen as Fuku hurried to him and threw her arms around him.

"Are you okay?" She asked, worry in her eyes.

"I'm fine." He said, rubbing her cheek. "Help me get these things off my soul."

Error rose to his feet, murder in his eyes as he looked at Glen. "How … how dare …"

Glen flicked the threads again. Error rose into the air, the threads extending from his fingertips now holding him in the air. Sans winced, but though the threads around his soul seemed to move, they didn't control him.

"Don't worry," Glen told him. "I'm lookin' out for you, bud. As for you, Error, I've got a few questions for you."

"The … dog?"

"Yeah, we'll get to Jake, but first there's something that's been bugging me for awhile, and seeing you, I think I've finally found the cause. What's the deal with the ichor?"

Sans looked up at Error as Fuku carefully unwrapped Error's threads from his soul. If anything, Error looked confused.

"Ichor?"

"The black stuff." Glen said, shaking him by the threads. "You've been goin' on about destroying alternate universes, so don't even try to play dumb about it. From what Sans said, the last dimension he was in is swimming in the stuff now. I took care of the last bit of it from the last universe I was in, but something tells me I'm gonna be seeing your black goop in other realities. So what is it?"

Error shook his head. "I don't know."

"Oh, come on now." Glen said, swinging the strings and by association, Error. "You expect me to believe that? You come here claiming you destroy universes, and there just happens to be this crud infesting universes-"

"Wait." Sans said, "Error, you said I was from a pure timeline before Glen came, right?"

Error nodded.

"Then why would there be ichor there?" Sans said, looking at Glen. "Frisk had that stuff in her before you every arrived; you just drove it out of her."

"That …" Glen sighed. "That's a good point."

The strings tugged in Glen's hands. "Oh, no you don't!" Glen said, pulling the threads with both hands. This time, however, Error remained in place. After a few more tugs, Glen realized it was worse than she thought, as the threads were now wrapping around Headache.

"Seems like it works both ways." Error brought his hands up, pulling Glen into the air by her arms. Fuku had freed Sans's soul, but the threads now wrapped around her hands and arms as well, lifting her into the air as well. Sans shot a bone at the thread, only for the thread to slice the bone neatly in half.

Sans rounded on Error, twin Gaster Blasters appearing in the air to blast the self-proclaimed abomination number one into dust. "Let them go … NOW!"

"Or what?" Error said. "You'll kill m-"

The gaster blasters fired in unison, destroying most of what was left of the consoles. Fortunately, it was only monitoring equipment; still, when the light faded, Error was still there, his grin spread across his face.

Sans never considered himself a violent fellow, which is why it shocked even him when he reared back and punched Error. It was a stupid move; he didn't have the kind ot strength to do any physical damage with such a blunt assault. Still, it seemed to catch Error off-guard … at least until the second punch. Blue threads caught Sans's fist, quickly slipping around his arm and pulling him into the air with the others.

"Wow." Error said, shaking his head. "I've taken down a bunch of us in the past, but I've never had a Sans try to punch me before. You didn't even hesitate with your gaster blaster either; clearly finding a bit of love's given you a bit of LOVE."

Error chuckled at his joke and shook his head. "Well, this has been interesting, but I think it's time to end this place. Oh, and don't worry about your canine friend, Glenda; I'll see to him soon enough, no matter what music he plays."

"Music?" Glen said, eyes widening. To Sans's shock, she started singing as loud as she could. There were no words, just the notes of a sad melody. After a glance at Fuku found her as dumbfounded as he felt, Sans looked at Error only to find his expression fallen, a single tear leaving another blue trail from his eye-sockets. The threads slowly lowered Sans, Fuku, and Glen to the floor. Fuku was the first to slip out of the threads. As she hurried over to Sans to help him, Glen wrapped the remaining slack of her threads around her metal knuckles. In moments, the threads were once again shining.

"All right, Error." She said, "Let's take this outside."

"What?" Error said, breaking from his strange reverie only for a look of anger to fall over his skull. "How dare …"

"Take it easy, Sans, and make sure Fuku's happy, all right?'

"Huh?" Sans said as Fuku worked at the threads around Sans's right hand, lifting him slighty with her other hand to get a little extra slack.

"As for you, Error, let's take this outside!" The threads extending from Glen's hand shone brightly as she pulled the crystal with the imprint from her pocket and wound some of the threads around it. She flicked the remaining threads around Error and pulled him close, only for the both of them to vanish a moment later in a flash of light.

Sans and Fuku stared at the empty space, barely registering the sound of approaching footsteps until Undyne, Papyrus, and at least twenty knights of the royal guard rushed into the room armed to take on a behemoth.

"Oh, thank goodness!" Papyrus said, "You are both unharmed! The other Lady Toriel told us about the other you, the murdery one with blinking bones."

"Where is he?" Undyne said, a shining blue spear in her hands. "We'll smash him into dust!"

"He's gone." Sans said with a sigh of relief. "Glen must've teleported both of them out of our dimension."

"Hmm." Undyne said, clearly not convinced. "All right. I want a constant presence here in the chamber, twenty-four seven! I'll contact Alphy … er, Alphys about getting some techs in here to fix this place up." A hopeful look came over her face. "Maybe she'll let me install a turret this time."

"I volunteer for the first shift!" Papyrus said, raising his hand.

Alphys nodded. "Fine. Dogamy and Dogessa, you stay here too. Any sign of trouble and you contact me immediately, understand?"

"Yes, Captain!" Papyrus said, snapping a salute at Undyne.

Undyne departed, looking a bit disappointed, likely from missing a good fight. As Dogamy and Dogessa took up positions beside the entrance to the Heart chamber, Papyrus approached Sans and Fuku.

"I am sorry about your friend." Papyrus said.

"Glen?" Sans said. "Heh. I'd feel more sorry for Error. Seriously, I think we really lucked out; if she hadn't been here, there's no telling what that … thing would've done."

"Well, you're safe; that's all that matters." Papyrus said, smiling at him and patting him on the shoulder.

Sans smiled back, but before he could respond, Fuku's hand grabbed his own. He turned to her to find her staring at the end of the thread still wrapped around his wrist. Like a trail of gunpowder ignited, the end of the thread glowed brightly and moved inward toward Sans, the thread behind it vanishing. As this process passed over a portion of the broken Heart console, both the thread and the console vanished.

Sans felt Fuku's grip tighten as the light neared them. His eyes met hers for a moment before the brilliance enveloped them both.


	7. Chapter 6 - Back to Nowhere

**Chapter 6**

 **Back to Nowhere**

In the realm known to its inhabitants of the Deep, nestled in Central Nowhere, a lamia waitress named Jenny sat on her coils at the register of the Crossroads Diner, reading the final chapter of her book as the tip of her tail wagged ever so slightly. She was just about to finish the final page when the diner door swung open with a jingle of a bell. A few moments later, an extremely tall patron stood in front of her, nearly blocking out the light.

"Hey there." Jenny said, not looking up from her book. "Welcome to Crossroads. You dining in or need it to go?"

"Dining in, Jenny." Said the massive woman of stone who had led the group into the diner. "Gonna get another lodestone platter, if you ain't too busy readin'."

Jenny's eyes darted up to see three people; the first (and most obvious) was a woman made of stone whose head nearly hit the ceiling. Her size and yellow eyes hinted at her identity, but it was the presence of the second person that confirmed it; a young bossun boy wearing a yellow and green striped shirt and a pair of Skyway Repair Crew coveralls.

"Asriel! Golemite!" Her first reaction was to hug them, but was halted by her second reaction. "Uh, Golemite?"

"Yeah?"

Jenny looked over the golem's muscular yet still clearly feminine body. "You seem … different."

"S'my hair." Golemite said, running her thick fingers through the golden main adorning her head. "Some friends over in the Precious Meadows hooked me up."

"The Precious Meadows?"

"It's what's beyond the Brass Woods." Asriel said.

The third person of the group, a black-furred cat-girl in faded denim shorts and a baggy T-shirt tied off at her waist, let ut a cough as an ebony three-eyed cat-like creature poked its head around the side of her ankles.

Asriel nodded and said, "Oh, right; Jenny, this is Shye. She's, uh, helping us out."

"She's running away from home." Golemite said bluntly.

"Hey!" Shye said, bristling. "You said I could come with you."

"Yes, and I said you should tell your parents." Golemite said, putting her hands on her hips and leaning over to address the much smaller cat-girl.

Shye mimicked her pose as she looked up at Golemite without a trace of intimidation. "I did!"

"You left a note and snuck out in the middle of the night." Golemite pointed out. "That's not the same thing."

Shye stuck her tongue out at the golem woman and crossed her arms stubbornly. "Well, I'm here, so deal with it!"

Jenny couldn't help but laugh at the sight of the little cat girl staring down the lady Golemite. "All right, all right." She said, struggling to regain her composure, "Yall have a seat, I'll bring you out some food, and you can tell me everything you found out there."

The three adventures clambered into Asriel and Golemite's usual booth. After a few moments, Golemite started to fidget.

"Something wrong, Golemite?" Asriel asked as Shye played with her little flynx, Mina.

"Doesn't feel right." Golemite rumbled shuffling about in her seat. "Jenny, did you install new benches?"

"No." Came the reply. "I liked having the imprint to remind me of you and Azzie."

"Imprint? What imprint?" Golemite looked down for a moment before saying, "Oh."

Asriel peeked over the side of the table, and saw that Golemite was sitting in the middle of a large imprint in the booth bench that would have perfectly matched her old posterior. Her new shapelier backside simply didn't match the imprint anymore.

"Hang on." Asriel said, starting to rise from his seat. "I'll grab a phone book."

Golemite forced his young friend to sit back down. "You'll do no such damn thing. I'll be fine."

A giggle slipped out of Shye's mouth, prompting an annoyed glare from Golemite. Fortunately, the arrival of their drinks provided a convenienct distraction.

"Sulphur shake with cocoa for Golemite, vanilla-cream soda for Asriel, and a banana-peach smoothie for Shye." Jenny said, setting the drinks in front of each of them (Golemite's with a thick oven mitt). Once again resting on her coils, she said, "All right, now get to talking."

It took several rounds of drinks (as well as a saucer of cream for little Mina) before Asriel and Golemite finished. They told her of the Brass Woods and Shye's parents and large family. They told her about finding the Precious Meadows and meeting the ancient builders Beget and Archie.

"And den dey was both workin' jus' fine." Golemite said after polishing off her fourth tankard. "Both of of 'em were just as happy as could be, all thanks to Asriel here."

Asriel sputtered and quickly put his glass down. Wiping his mouth, he said, "What do you mean? I didn't do …"

"I ain't no dummy, Azzie. They had one shard between 'em, then suddenly they each had their own. You gave them one of yours, yeah?"

"Yeah." Asriel said, his hand going to his chest. That had been his intention, and he'd felt one of his shards pass to the brothers. So why did he now feel three shards of the Everstar within him?

"Hey!" Shye said, shaking Asriel's shoulder and jostling the bossun from his thoughts. "Stop spacing out, already!"

"S-sorry." Asriel said, rubbing his shoulder. "Anyway, we ended up staying a little while to help the people of Glencove settle into their new village. That reminds me, your sister asked us to say hello."

"Rommie?" Jenny said, her grin widening. "How's she doing?"

"Pretty good." Golemite said, nodding. "She's working with Shye's parents to set up new groves with some of the local produce."

"Awesome. I'll have to see if I can't brow-beat her into sending a few crates our way. We could use some new things on the menu. Speaking of which, let me see how your food's coming."

"Hot, I hope!" Golemite called out. Asriel and Shye giggled as Jenny glared at Golemite before sliding away. Once she was out of sight, Golemite leaned back in the recession in the back of the booth, another leftover reminder of her old body.

"So." She said, resting her arms along the back of the booth, "One down, three to go. Where we headin' next, Azzie? We got the Drifting Meadows to the west, the Glass Ocean to the east, and the Chorus Mountains to the south."

"I vote not Drifting Meadows." Shye said, raising her hand.

"That's not how voting works." Golemite said, glaring at her. "I'll bite; why not the Drifting Meadows."

"Well, we just came from the Precious Meadows. The name sounds too similar, and I wanna see somethin' different." Shye said.

Golemite chuckled. "They call it 'Drifting Meadows' because it's a buncha islands floating on clouds. It's literally driftin'."

Shye blew a raspberry at the stone woman. "I wanna see the Glass Ocean!"

Sighing, Golemite looked to Asriel. "Whaddya think?"

"Um, I think we need to be thinking about this practically." Asriel said. "We don't have an airship or a boat. Did we get enough of a bonus from the Skyway Repair Crew HQ for charting the Precious Meadows to buy one?"

"Er, not quite." Golemite said, rubbing the back of her head. "Most of it went to payin' off our debts."

"Debts? What debts?" Asriel asked.

"The repair bill for our apartment. I tried to tell our landlady it was the damn assassin, but she wouldn't have it. Still, we got a new kitchen out of it."

Asriel shivered at the mention of Saymor; the assassin had destroyed half of their kitchen to take out Golemite and turned its sights on Asriel. Saymor had part of the Everstar, an artifact of such power that merely a single shard was enough to replace Asriel's lost soul and restore his previous form. The shattered remnants of the assassin's crystal blades were as good as swords to the young Bossun, and were strapped across his back despite the fact he hadn't needed them thus far. He hoped he never would.

"Spacing out again!" Shye said, shaking Asriel's arm. "C'mon, Azzie! Stick with me here! The only other place left would be the Chorus Mountains, and screw that! It'll be all cold and climbing. C'mon! Glass Ocean. Choose Glass ocean. Glaaaaass Ocean! Please?"

Asriel stared at her for a moment. The way she grinned at him, her eyes closed and her tail wagging as she held his arm fast, suddenly struck him as strangely familiar.

 _Frisk … don't you have anything better to do?_

"All right." He said, smiling at her. "We'll head for the beach."

"Heading for the Glass Beach next, huh?" Jenny said, setting a massive tray on the table. "My sister, Bella, runs a little shop in Starhaven. I could let her know to keep an eye out for you."

"Thanks, but I don't really need any over-priced seashells glued to a picture frame." Golemite said.

Jenny punched Golemite in the arm, despite the obvious pain it caused. "Not that kind of store, schist-for-brains. Seriously, stop by her place; she might be able to help you out. You heading out right away?"

"Eh, we'll wait until morning." Golemite said. "Might as well enjoy the apartment after how much we just had to pay for it. Sound good, Azzie?"

Asriel nodded, stifling a yawn. "Yeah, a good night's rest sounds pretty swell … after dinner, though."

Jenny bid the trio goodbye once their stomachs were full, reminding them as they departed to see her sister for assistance once they reached the town of Starhaven on the very edge of the Glass Ocean. A short walk through Central nowhere found them once again at the apartment they called home. The AC kicked on immediately; Golemite always liked it cold. She claimed it helped her think better. Asriel, being a bossun with a natural coat, never objected.

It felt strange being home, at least to Asriel. After the wonders of the Brass Woods, the Precious Meadow, and the wonderful flying tower of Beget and Archie, being back in the ordinary little apartment felt like stepping into a completely different reality. Still, it was home, and with it came that sense of peace and comfort that home brings, only slightly diminished by Saymor's attempted assassination.

"I can't believe I'm in Nowhere!" Shye said, jumping on the couch.

Golemite caught her in mid-jump. "All right there, little missy, ease off on the couch, would ya? You jus' calm down a sec while I find a blanket for ya."

Shye plopped down on the couch and watched Asriel as he set his swords on the overturned spool that was their coffee table.

"You're quiet." She said, hands under her knees as she leaned forward, a look of concern in her eyes. "Are you okay, Asriel?"

He nodded. "I'm okay; just sleepy."

"Sleepy Dreemurr." She said with a laugh. "I don't feel tired at all. I can't wait to see the Glass Ocean! Say, what do you think might be out there? Can you do that sensy-thing with the Everstar?"

Asriel concentrated on the shards within him. If he closed his eyes and let his thoughts drift, he could feel inward tugs in the directions of the remaining shard. Two were faint, likely those farther away, he reasoned, but one of the stronger pulls definitely seemed to be coming from the south of the city. The other was hard to pinpoint, as though it were moving around.

"I can feel one in that general direction, but I can't actually see anything about it."

"Meaning it could be at the bottom of the ocean." Shye sighed and lay back on the couch with her hands behind her heads. After a few moments of silence, she asked, "Say, Azzie, I've been meaning to ask … how did you end up with a piece of the Everstar?"

"That's a long story." Asriel let out a sigh. "I guess you could say it found me before I lost myself. This weird skeleton guy said it replaced the soul I lost."

"You lost your soul? How?"

"I died." Asriel said matter-of-factually.

Shye stared at him slack-jawed for a few moments before blowing a raspberry at him. "If you don't wanna tell me, it's fine. I was just curious."

Asriel opened his mouth to tell her he was serious when Golemite returned to the room with a heavy blanket.

"Here ya go." She said, draping the blanket over Shye and dropping a pillow on her head. "That should do ya for tha night. Now get some rest."

"Hey, Golemette." Shye said, stuffing the pillow behind her back.

"For the hundreth time, it's Golemite … Go-lem-ITE."

"Whatever. Where did Asriel get his Everstar Shard?"

"It was a prize in a cereal box." Golemite told her. "Look, it ain't important how he got it, right? It's there now, and we gotta deal with it."

Shye sat up, an annoyed look on her face. "But why? Asriel said he didn't really care about getting the wish anymore."

"Yeah," Golemite said, "But that ain't gonna stop others from finding him. The last guy's the reason we're gonna be walkin' to the Glass Ocean. Me and Azzie, we decided we're gonna find the others first and make sure there ain't gonna be no problems. So far, so good, thanks to Azzie bein' cool enough to give one of his shards to the robros."

"Yeah." Asriel said, his hand going to his chest. "I just wish I knew why it feels like I've got three now."

Golemite slapped him on the shoulder, nearly knocking him out of the chair. "Hey, sometimes you just gotta go with it. Maybe they'll come in handy, huh? And if we happen to get 'em all, hey … free wish. Even if you stay here, getting' your soul back means you could visit your parents and your girlfriend, Frisk, again."

Blushing, Asriel said, "I told you, Frisk isn't my …"

A loud snore interrupted their conversation. Asriel and Golemite turned to find Shye fast asleep, nestled against her pillow.

Chuckling softly, Golemite carefully pulled the blanket over the cat-girl. "You'd better get some rest too, Asriel. Probably got an army of crab-people or a flock of vicious merfolk just waiting at the Glass Ocean for us to stumble over them."

"Yeah, that'd be about right." Asriel said with a smile. "Good night, Golemite."

"You too."

Golemite and Asriel headed to their respective rooms. Asriel's room was simple; a single bed, a dresser with one leg propped up by a thick book entitled "Bazooie, the Crimson Hero", and a makeshift desk covered with drawings, themselves covered with a thick layer of dust.

He spun the old office chair sitting in front of his desk before laying down in his bed. He knew he should probably take a shower and change into his bed clothes, but seeing Shye asleep reminded him just how long it had been since he rested in an actual bed. The last bed had been in Beget and Archie's tower.

After a few moments he turned over to get comfortable and found himself staring at the dark silhouette he knew as the Starkid. She lay beside him in his bed as though she'd been napping there before he even came into the room.

When she didn't say anything, he took a trembling breath and asked, "Why are you here?"

"I remember this." She said. Do you?"

The Starkid's arms wrapped around Asriel. His cheeks red, Asriel said, "I-I d-don't … I mean, I n-never …"

Giggling, the Starkid laid her head on Asriel's chest. "I saw what you did … to Beget and Archie. You're a hero to them … and to me."

Blushing deeper, Asriel said, "I don't know about that … I just couldn't steal their shard."

"And you gave them one of yours." Starkid's hand touched Asriel's chest, the pieces of the Everstar pulsing in response. "And while they have the shards, the power of all three is in you."

"Do you know why?" Asriel asked.

Starkid was silent for a long time before saying simply, "It's been a long time since 'kill and be killed.'"

An image of Flowey appeared in Asriel's mind, the insidious deceptive smile ever present in the darkness of his thoughts. "But it's still in me."

"But you're fighting it." Starkid said. "You did the right thing when it would've been easier to just take the shard. Now the Precious Meadows will continue to grow and prosper."

Asriel wasn't sure what to say. He was still trying to think of something when Starkid let out a small laugh and said, "Not such a crybaby anymore, are you, Asriel?"

Asriel's eyes widened, his arms moving to hold Starkid as he whispered, "Chara?"

His hands closed on nothing. He sat up and looked around, only to find himself alone.


	8. Chapter 7 - Lost in Transit

**Chapter 7**

 **Lost in Transit**

Sans felt the world slowly sliding back around him. The first thing he realized was that he was upside-down.

"Huh?" He said, peering around blearily at the heavy metal shelves surrounding him. His eye-sockets took in a number of strange items; an old lamp, a manhole cover, an old oil lantern, and what appeared to be a feather in a jar. The feather caught his attention; it blew about within the jar as though being blown about by wind.

"One problem at a time." He muttered, glancing down … or rather, up … at his legs to find it caught between a large black anvil and a metal support bar of the shelves.

He carefully pulled himself up so he could grab the shelf above his trapped leg and carefully worked it out from the racking. As he did so, however, his eyes went back to the anvil; it was a large hunk of metal in the traditional shape, the only truly notable thing about it being the letters 'A.C.M.E.'engraved into the side.

"Sans?" called out a voice that made Sans's heart pulse.

"Fuku!" He glanced over his shoulder to see Fuku on the floor almost directly beneath him. She was rising to her feet, looking a little shaken but no worse for wear.

Sans quickly pulled his foot free so he could clamber down. In his haste to rejoin Fuku, however, his foot kicked the anvil, which much to his surprise immediately tumbled over the shelf as though it weighed nothing.

"Fuku, look out!" Sans shouted despite the fact that any object so easily brushed aside probably wouldn't cause any lasting harm.

Fuku rolled aside moments before the anvil hit the ground with an ear-ringing clang that sent a slight tremor through the shelves. Sans quickly descended the rack, careful not to upset any other object until his sandaled feet were on the floor.

"Are you all right?" He asked, helping her to stand. His eyes moved to the anvil, which had smashed a hole in the concrete that left it buried up to it's mid-section. "Geez … I coulda killed you with that thing!"

"It's okay." She said, rubbing his cheek. "I'm okay."

Sans let out a sigh of relief before turning his attention back to the anvil. "I barely even touched the thing. It slid off that shelf like it weighed nothing!"

He prodded the anvil with the toe of his sandal. To his surprise, the anvil moved as though it was a pool float. He reached down and lifted the anvil from the hole with a single hand.

"Huh." He said, eyeing the massive metal object. It barely held any weight in his hand, and yet when he let it go (after ensuring his and Fuku's feet were well out of the way), it hit the ground as though it weighted a ton.

"Sparks!" Fuku said, the bright spots that were her eyes widening.

"Took the words outta my mouth." Sans said, his eyes returning to the racks. It looked like the world's biggest junk collection, all carfully packed and arranged on the shelves. Each item had its own little monitor displaying both a picture of the item and a strange block of text about it. Sans thought it would be a description of what it was, or where it was found, but the reality was much stranger.

"Lonnie Johnson's original nerf gun." Sans said, looking at the entry with fascination, "Properties: Target hit with projectiles flung back with force proportionate to being struck with a two-ton vehicle. Warning: repeated use induces a child-like euphoria and a belief that the damage and injury caused is just 'play'."

Sans's gaze fell to the gun itself, a construct of blue and orange plastic beside a sealed container filled with bright yellow foam balls. It looked perfectly innocent, though the incident with the anvil was more than enough for him to keep his hands to himself.

"Sans, look at this!" Fuku said, her eyes on a page held in a glass frame so that only the front could be seen. "Original recipe for Coca-Cola. Properties: when prepared properly and consumed, the consumer experiences greater speed, endurance, and heightened awareness. Warning: repeated consumption leads to addiction. Long term use lowers speed, endurance, and awareness, and induces a permanent feeling of lethargy proportional to amount consumed."

"Kinda like the real thing, huh?" Sans said, grinning at Fuku.

"Actually, it's a lot more pronounced."

Sans spun about to find himself face-to-face with Lady Toriel. She wore a modest cardigan, a long skirt, a pair of thick glasses, and a stern expression. She adjusted her glasses and said, "The last person who drank it is now in a coma. He only drank the equivalent of a six-pack."

"Lady Toriel?" Fuku asked, eyes wide.

Toriel raised an eye at Fuku. "Missus Dreemurr."

"Tori, it's us." Sans said, a growing feeling of concern in his chest. "Sans and Fuku. I saw you in the park earlier today."

Missus Dreemurr continued to look at them with obvious suspicion. "The real Sans is in Egypt. I spoke with him only five minutes ago."

Sans stared at her in confusion until his mind played back the last few seconds before he blacked out. Glen and Error vanishing from sight, the remaining threads quickly vanishing while still around Sans's hands, and Fuku quickly slipping her hands into his.

"Another dimension." Sans said, snapping his finger bones. Looking at Fuku, Glen said, "You knew this would happen?"

"Well, I had a feeling." She said, taking his hand. "I mean, Glen pulled out the imprint, and with what she said, I had the feeling she was about use those threads to drag Error away from the UNDR-Ground."

"Good thinking." He said, giving her hand a squeeze.

Missus Dreemurr was watching them with an air of strained patience. Coughing (an impressive trick for someone without lungs), Sans said, "Look, this might sound strange-"

"Try me." Missus Dreemurr said, crossing her arms.

"Well, we're from another dimension. Technically, we're not even from that one; in my home dimension, all the monsters were killed, and Fuku's dimension was infested with the black goopy stuff …"

"The Ichor?" Missus Dreemurr said suddenly, her gaze intense.

Sans was taken aback. "Y-you know about it?"

She stared at them for a long moment before saying, "Follow me … and don't wander off. The Warehouse can be particular with unwelcome visitors."

"The Warehouse?" The look Missus Dreemurr gave Sans silenced any other questions he might have.

They walked through the maze of shelves for a good ten minutes, Miss Dreemurr before finally reaching what appeared to be the end of the warehouse. There was a wall, at least, and a metal stairwell leading up to some sort of office.

Missus Dreemurr opened the door and motioned for Sans and Fuku to walk inside. Trading curious glances, Sans and Fuku entered the office to find themselves surrounded by several humans. Of more immediate notice, however, was the sight of Glen, sitting in a chair.

"Sans! Fuku!" Glen said, looking up as her friends entered the office. "How did you …"

"The threads were attached to Error." Sans said simply.

Glen blushed and rubbed the back of her head. "Ah, crap … I'm sorry. I didn't want to drag you along with me."

"S'okay." Sans said. "Not your fault … and hey, it kept the UNDR-Ground safe, right?"

A small smile on her face, Glen said, "I suppose. Say, how did you find this place? It's a maze out there."

"Oh, Tori … er, Missus Dreemurr showed us the-" Sans stopped, realizing that the bossun woman was not behind them. He glanced outside the office door, only to find the walkway empty.

"Huh." Sans said, scratching his skull. "She was right behind us."

"Yeah, she does that." Said a largish rabbit man with glasses and a mess of curly hair just touched with gray. "This way, please."

Sans and Fuku allowed the bunny man to usher them to the chairs beside Glen. The moment they sat down, Sans felt his magical sense prickle as a flash of light briefly surrounded them.

"What the …"

"Anti-kinetic field." The rabbit man said. "You appeared in the middle of a top-secret facility without tripping any sensors or fail-safes."

"Except good ol' Miss D." Said one of the other human males, this one younger and more fit.

Nodding, the first man said, "So I'm sure you won't begrudge us a little security."

"We've got nothing to hide." Sans said with a shrug. "We're from another dimension, where the monsters are the center-stone of a massive multimedia empire."

The humans all turned to the other human male, a serious-looking fellow with a buzz cut. He stared at Sans for a moment as though surprise. "He's telling the truth."

"The first time too, unlike their friend." Said the last human, a tall, dark-haired lady.

Glen blushed. "Hey, old habits."

Looking at Sans, the rabbit man opened his mouth to speak when a loud buzzing noise made him jump. It repeated a few times before he pulled out a strange device that looked like a large tin of curiously strong mints.

"Artie!" Said a voice that was all to familiar to Sans, "You'll never believe who I ran into!"

"This isn't the best time, Pap."

"Roger that; we'll be there in a few minutes!"

Artie closed the device with a sigh.

"Was that Papyrus?" Fuku asked, glancing at Sans.

"Yes." Artie said, rubbing his forehead. "I suppose I shouldn't be surprised, you being Sans and all. Look, I need to know if there's still a threat here."

"Error?" Glen said. "I don't know. I haven't seen him. My guess is he shifted into some kind of pocket dimension."

"Then he could be back in the UNDR-Ground?" Sans said, alarm raising.

To his relief, Glen shook her head. 'Not a chance. I didn't just yank him here; I tied him to my flux stream. He can't leave this reality unless I do, and even then, he has to go with me … you and Fuku too, it seems."

"But the strings are gone." Fuku said.

Glen shook her head. "It doesn't matter. I used the threads to create the link; everyone touching them at the time of teleportation is stuck together from now on, at least until I find a way to undo it … after we deal with Error, of course."

Glancing at Artie, Glen continued, "Of course, we're gonna have a hard time finding a way to stop him if our friends from the Warehouse here keep us in these chairs."

"Oh, I'm sorry." Artie said with obvious sarcasm. "Are you uncomfortable? Would you like some cookies and some milk? Another cushion for your chair? I don't care where you came from, you broke into the Warehouse. You are potentially dangerous, and until I'm satisfied that you aren't, you're going to stay in your cages."

"If I were you, I'd be a bit more worried about Error." Sans said. "The guy said he was gonna destroy any dimension he views as an abomination. If he's stuck here, I think it's a fair bet to say he's gonna give you a seriously bad time."

"Still the truth." Said the man with the buzz cut, looking worried.

Artie removed his glasses and rubbed his eyes for a moment before saying, "Okay. How? How is he going to 'destroy this dimension'? How do you erase an entire reality?"

"I don't know." Sans said. "He said something about needing to find the person with the dominant determination. I think he was talkin' about Frisk, but somethin' about Glen was stoppin' him."

"Superior determination." Glen said, a look of smugness on her face. "My will helped stop a dimension from falling apart. I'd call that pretty damn dominant."

"Okay, so he gets this dominant determination, and then what? He just determines the dimension into nothingness?"

Glen opened her mouth, looking at first as though she had a response only to quickly lapse into a wordless uncertainty. Even Fuku looked confused. Only Sans knew the real reason Error went for the Core, and what exactly he was planning to do.

He opened his mouth to tell them the secret he'd kept for ages, the secret he'd intended to share with Glen before they were separated by Error the first time, only for a loud knock to cut him short.

Sans turned around as much as he was able and saw a very secure-looking door at the far end of the room. The door opened a moment later to reveal Papyrus wearing a snappy suit, a short human woman with red hair, and to everyone in the room's amazement, another slightly bewildered Papyrus with an earpiece integrated into his armor and an apron bearing the logo of the UNDR-Ground's favorite cooking show, Papyrus's Pasta Paradise.

"Hello!" The first Papyrus said. "Look who I found! It's another me!"

Sighing, Artie said, "Myka, would you …"

"Sure." Said the tall woman, quickly hurrying away, only to return a few moments later with another of the trap chairs.

"I'm dreadfully sorry about this." Agent Papyrus told his other self as he escorted him to another of the stasis chairs.

"Oh, I understand." Said UNDR-Papyrus. "After all, if I'm you, and you're me, then that means you're at least as good as a Royal Knight, and everyone knows Royal Knights follow orders to the letter."

"Royal Knight?" Agent Papyrus repeated as though testing it out. "I like the sound of that."

"Papyrus … er, Papyruses." Artie said, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "If you don't mind."

"Oh. Sorry." They both said in unison. Sans couldn't help but chuckle, despite the situation.

"I say, is this the normal greeting in this place?" UNDR-Papyrus asked Sans.

"Yeah." Sans said, trying not to grin wider. "That sounds about right. Sorry you got dragged along with us."

"Well, maybe it is for the best." Papyrus said, looking at the assembled agents of the Warehouse. "You seem to have found yourself in quite a pickle."

Glen remained silent, her eyes on the young red-haired woman currently typing at the office computer.

"No breaks in security, Artie." She said, still typing. "At least nothing I'm picking up."

"Good." Artie turned to Glen. "And you're positive nothing else can just slip through?"

"Definitely not." Glen said. "I think the break in dimensions heals almost immediately."

"You think?" said the human with the red hair.

Glen shrugged. "It's not exactly an exact science, Miss Donovan."

The red-head stared at her for a few moments in shock. "Okay, that's creepy. How do you know my name?"

"Long story." Glen said, looking away as though embarrassed she'd mentioned it. "Let's just say we've met before."

"No." Artie said, crossing his arms. "How about you tell us everything, and maybe we don't put you in the bronze sector. How about that?"

Glen glanced at Sans, who shrugged. "Couldn't hurt," He said, "And hey; maybe they can help us out."'

"Fair enough." Glen looked at Miss Donovan and said, "We met when you caught me trying to sneak out of the warehouse with Babe Ruth's baseball bat. I thought I'd passed all the agents, but didn't realize the caretaker could come and go as she pleased."

"Caretaker?" The red-head asked.

"Claudia." Artie said, his tone warning.

"Yes." Glen answered in response to Claudia's unasked question. "The guardian of Warehouse 13 … in 2116 …"

Glen paused, as though she just realized something. "Which means this might be a different time, before you became caretaker. That means the inverse might be able …"

She pulled the pendant from beneath her shirt and gazed at it intently for a few moments, her eyes full of hope. That hope faded in a few moments.

"No change." She said, now sad. "We're only moving in norm time."

A long moment of silence fell over the room, broken eventually by Glen shaking her head and saying, "And after I helped save the warehouse for the fifth time, you decided it was in your best to make me the Warehouse's first freelance agent."

"Freelance agent?" Myka asked.

"Right, Miss Myka … Bering, right?"

"Close enough." She said, her eyes darting briefly to the man with the slightly goofy face.

"I cover a lot of ground in my business." Glen said, "And if I happen to find an interesting artifact while out and about, I bring it back to the Warehouse. Usually."

"Usually, huh?" Claudia said with a grin.

"Well, sometimes I hold on to one for a little while … just to figure out what it does, of course."

"Lying." Said the man with the buzz-cut.

"Shh, Jinxie." Claudia said, giving him a light smack on the arm.

Artie shook his head, the look on his face clearly giving away that he didn't believe a word of it. "Yeah, well that's an interesting story, Miss Glenda."

"Glen." Said Glen, rolling her eyes. "I hate being called Glenda."

"Fine. It's a nice story, but even you must realize how crazy it sounds."

"Compared to what?" Glen asked. "Compared to Edgar Allen Poe's pen and journal, which let you rewrite reality? Compared to H. G. Well's time machine? How about a coat brush that erases a person from history?"

Silence followed this statement, coupled with looks of astonishment from the Warehouse agents.

"Look," Glen said, "We aren't here to mess with the Warehouse, especially with Error still around somewhere. Since we are here, however, I could seriously use your help."

"Out help?" Artie repeated as though he couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"Yes." Glen said, "And intend to return the favor. As a token of good faith, three two seven Maybourne Lane, McComb, Mississippi, third shelf to the right of the register, second shelf up from the ground. It should be right next to a rusty cheese grater."

"Artie?" The tall human woman said.

After staring at Glen for a long moment, Artie nodded his head, ears bobbing behind his back. "You and Pete check it out."

"We're on it." The tall woman nodded at the man with the slightly goofy face, presumably Pete, and headed for the heavy door. Pete moved to follow, only to stop and hurry back to the desk to snag a cookie from the plate on the desk.

"All right." Artie said. "While we wait, why don't you tell me everything."

"Everything?" Sans said, glancing at Fuku, Papyrus, and Glen.

"Everything?" Glen said, looking back to Artie.

"Everything." The rotund bunny man said, crossing his arms.


	9. Chapter 8 - Sense of Agency

**Chapter 8**

 **Sense of Agency**

It took a while to tell everything, mostly because Glen took Artie's request fairly seriously. Even Sans was surprised when Glen went into detail about Jake's brother/owner Finn Cresste and the trouble with the Reapers and the mysterious Illusive Man. It was certainly enough to give Sans something to think about; somewhere, in Glen's home reality, another ragtag group was working to stop a madman in the body of an ancient killing machine modified to eat entire planets, people and all. It certainly made the death of his Underground seem a little paler in comparison.

Then came the confusing tale of Glen and Sans thus far, starting with the city of Ebott in J-27, moving to Sans's home dimension and splitting up after their first encounter with Error in mid-shortcut. Glen told them about Underswap universe, after which Sans and Fuku told of their own adventures in the Underfell universe, ending finally with UNDR-Ground and the fight with Error that once again ended with them in yet another universe.

Silence filled the office for a full minute as Artie seemed to process everything. The woman named Claudia was busily typing at the office's main computer the whole time, and Papyrus's expression made it clear he'd lost comprehension of the situation about the point Error entered the story. He and the human Claudia called, "Jinxie' left to deal with some kind of anomalous slinky they'd picked up.

Eventually Artie turned to Claudia and asked, "Anything?"

"No trace of disturbances in the Warehouse, other than Mel Blanc's Anvil." Claudia said.

"Yeah, sorry about that." Sans said, rubbing the back of his skull.

"Don't sweat it." Claudia said, "That hunk of scrap's been a pain ever since we found it."

"Claudia." Artie said in a warning tone.

"What?" Claudia said, "Or he might figure out about the warehouse? I think that ship's sailed, Artie."

Artie sighed and rubbed his eyes. "All right. Say I believe you. If you can just shift dimensions, why don't you just shift away again?"

"Because I lost the imprint." Glen said. "Error knocked it out of my hands while we were struggling. Without it, there's no way to direct the dimensional gate."

Glancing at Sans and Fuku, Glen said, "Quite frankly, all the Warehouse has done is sit us down and keep us from moving. Given we could easily shift into another Underfell universe, or maybe somewhere even worse, I think I'll just wait until I can convince you to help us."

"Help you?" Artie repeated. "Help you with what?"

The heavy door opened, this time revealing a worried-looking cat woman with long, curly hair.

"Leena?" Artie said, addressing the newcomer. "Maybe now isn't the best-"

"You know about the darkness?" Leena asked, her eyes moving from Sans to Fuku.

"The darkness?" Sans repeated before realizing what she meant. "The ichor?"

"That stuff you found in the other dimensions?" Claudia asked. "You mean it's here too?"

"I'm guessing yes." Glen said. "How much?"

"I-I don't know." Leena said, "But it's strong. I didn't even come into direct contact with it, and it still nearly took me."

"What?" Artie said, standing up. "When?"

"Leena, why didn't you tell us about this?" Claudia asked.

"Because I thought it was just another artifact." Leena told them. "When I escaped, I just wanted to get away from it."

"It?" Glen said. "What exactly are we talking about here?"

Leena rubbed her elbows, a disconcerted look on her face. "It's an artifact … a novel. It was found in a small town in Washington. When I brought it here, I tried to get a feel for it so I could store it in the proper place, but when I started to read it … it …"

After a few moments of silence, Glen finished, "You realized it was reading you."

Leena nodded silently.

"I didn't have much to work with." Glen said, more to herself than anyone else. "It was too dangerous. Sans, Fuku, you saw it for yourself. Even with what little I had, I could tell that the stuff gets smarter the more of it there is."

"That goes with what we saw in Underfell." Sans said, Fuku nodding in agreement. "So how much ichor are we talkin' about here?"

"I don't know." Leena said. "The book was just a conduit, but … I saw a small cottage in a caldera and a man … I think he was the author … Alan Wake."

"Was he corrupted?" Glen asked. "I haven't seen its effects on humans yet, but it sure as hell has an affect on monsters."

"I … I don't know." Leena said, twisting her hands uncomfortably. "I only got a hazy glimpse. Maybe?"

Glen seemed to do some quick thinking before she finally nodded. "Okay. The book was found in Washington, right?"

"In the Oh Deer Diner."

Sans let out a snort of laughter, only to get looks of rebuke from Fuku and Glen. He couldn't help but notice Claudia hiding a grin.

"Sorry." Sans said. "But seriously, if this ichor stuff's here, it's bad news. Underfell … the Underfell Universe Fuku's from, it's drowning in the stuff. I'm guessing here, but I think it's the kind of problem that gets bigger the longer you try to avoid it."

"I'd like to check it out." Glen said, looking to Artie.

"What?' Artie said. "No, no no no, I can't just release you."

"Why not?" Glen said. "I'm a warehouse agent."

"Yes." He said, sarcasm dripping from his voice, "A freelance warehouse agent."

"So consider this a freebee." Sighing, Glen said, "Tell you what; look into this town where the book was found … what was it?"

"Bright Falls." Leena said.

"Right." Glen said with a nod. "If this book was a conduit to something bigger, there's gotta be signs of something else at work there."

Tapping keys soon filled the air, to the apparent surprise of Artie. He turned to find Claudia already bringing up information on the computer.

"Holy Jackpot, Batman." She said, eyes widening as more information displayed on her screen.

Artie adjusted his glasses and read aloud, "Artist goes mad … video game designer goes postal ... journalist murders social worker … how many of these are there?"

"Thirty-seven, going back to seventies." Claudia said, bringing up an article with a picture of two old men wearing clothes more befitting a heavy metal group. "Check it; Thor and Odin Anderson of the band 'The Old Gods of Asgard'."

"Rock on." Fuku said, drawing a curious look from Sans that made her blush.

"They claimed their inspiration came from their homeade moonshine, made from the cool waters of a local lake. Odin's quoted as saying, "It made the shadows come alive."

Artie nodded. "Right. Okay, I'll admit it; this is definitely suspicious."

"Suspicious?" Glen said indignantly. "This is a flashing neon sign screaming 'something funny's going on here'."

"Maybe." Artie said, eyes on the screen. Shaking his head, he said, "Can I trust you to not go running off?"

"Of course." Glen said, nodding at Sans, Fuku, and Papyrus.

Artie didn't respond, his eyes on Leena. She looked into Glen's eyes before moving on to Fuku and Papyrus."

"Hello, pretty human." Papyrus said as Leena looked at him. She smiled a little at that before moving on to Sans.

There was a definite look of familiarity in her eyes, if just for a second. Sans found himself wondering what his counterpart in that dimension was like. Obviously he was an agent; Artie had said as much earlier. Still, given the variation he'd seen thus far (which, he supposed, must include Error), Agent Sans could be anything.

"We can trust them." Leena said.

Artie nodded. "All right. Give me the rest of the night to do some more research; I'd like to hear back from Pete and Myka before I make any decisions."

The fields around the chairs vanished. Glen let out a sigh of relief as she stood up. "Any chance I can get Headache back?"

"Headache?" Artie asked.

"My arm-machine thingies."

"Oh, those." He said with a chuckle. "Well, I guess since you asked nicely … NO!"

"Yeesh." Glen muttered as Leena led them away. "I was just asking."

They stayed that night in the Leena's Bed and Breakfast, a comfortable home that was home to all Warehouse agents according to Glen. Leena, UNDRPapyrus and Agent Papyrus collaborated to a big, if a bit strange, meal that left everyone full and sleepy.

Not sleepy enough, however, to prevent Sans and Fuku from visiting Glen. The Dreamer was sitting on her four poster bed when they arrived, reading a worn paperback.

"There you are." She said, tossing the book aside. "I've been waiting. Papyrus not with you?"

"Nah, he's still downstairs trading recipes with Agent Papyrus." Fuku said.

Sans nodded. "It's nice he doesn't seem too put out by all this."

"Well, he's Papyrus." Glen said with a shrug. "So, I'm guessing you want to talk."

"Yeah, a bit." Sans said, pulling out the room's lone chair for Fuku before sitting down and resting his back against her legs. "First off, what happened to the crystal with the imprint?"

"Like I said, knocked from my hand during transit. Error didn't like being dragged along, and put up a hell of a fight." Glen said. "That's just one of the reasons I'm hoping we can get some Warehouse assistance here."

"Yeah, about this Warehouse," Sans said, "What is this place all about?"

"Long story short, they collect anomalous things. Objects that do strange, weird, and even dangerous things." Glen said. "In this dimension, they seem to be affliated with the Underground somehow. Even in my home reality, they're a top secret … I mean, really secret, not like the whole FBI, Area Fifty-One crap. I bumped into them by complete accident there, though things were different."

"Different how?" Fuku asked.

"Different agents, different caretaker. The caretaker of the time told me about the agents of her time, though, and I think these are them."

"This caretaker being Claudia?"

Glen chuckled and shook her head. "It feels strange calling her that. Took me two years to even find out her first name was Claudia. Even weirder to see her so … informal."

Shaking her head, Glen said, "But we need their help. We've got the trouble with the ichor, we need to find Jake, we need to find the Inverse Harmonius shard so I can get back to J-27 and You, Fuku, and Pap can get back to the UNDR-Ground, and I still need to find a way to fix J-27's Flowey."

"I got some info on that." Sans said, nodding at the surprised look that appeared on Glen's face a moment later. "The Underfell Flowey turned back into Asriel after he absorbed Asgore's soul."

"He absorbed … of course!" Glen said, punching her fist into her cupped hand. "Flowey still has his flux resonance; if filled with enough properly aligned stream energy, his form should stabilize to what it was."

"So you need a soul." Sans said. "Sounds so simple, doesn't it?"

"It is simple." Glen said with a shrug. "There are a lot of bad people out there. Oh, don't look at me like that; I'm not gonna go kill someone; still, if I happen to be around when they meet their end with a soulstone in hand, well …"

"That might not work." Fuku said. Blushing slightly under Glen and Sans's curious looks, she said, "Stream resonance can be very fickle, especially in restorative magics. Asriel's a monster; you'll probably need a monster soul in the very least. You might even need a Bossun soul."

"Okay," Glen said, "Then I'll just find an bad Bossun."

Sans and Fuku exchanged glances.

Glen sighed. "Not that easy?"

"Not really." Sans said. "There aren't many bossun left; most died during the war with the humans. Even then, they can live practically forever."

"Practically?"

"Their aging is tied to that of their children. Kid grows up, parents grow old."

This news seemed to surprise Glen. "Then … if I bring Asriel back …"

"Toriel and Asgore will probably start aging." Fuku continued.

The room fell silent after this somber news. Glen ran a hand through her hair before falling back on the bed. "Man … is it like this for all monsters?"

"The aging thing? Not usually. As for children, I guess it depends on the monster." Glancing up at Fuku, Sans asked, "Say, how'd it work for your parents? I'm asking for a friend."

"Hmm." Fuku said, leaning down to kiss Sans on the forehead. "A friend huh?"

"I bet it was hot."

"Sans!"

"They were caught in a burning passion, engulfed by the flames of romance."

"You better watch it, or I'll burn you, fluffy-bones." Fuku said, her hands slipping over his chest to tickle his ribs

Glen chuckled as the ensuing play-fight between Fuku and Sans which ended with Fuku pinning Sans to the ground.

"Queen Fuku is once again victorious!" She said, raising her hands.

"Long live the queen." Glen said with a grin, only to let out a huge yawn.

"Damn." She said, covering her mouth. "Guess I'm more tired than I thought. Let's talk about this tomorrow."

"Sure thing." Fuku said, rising to her feet and helping Sans to his. She left the room the normal way, but not before Sans got a pinch in.

"There will be vengeance." She said, pointing a finger at him and trying not to smile as she backed out of the door. "Expect it most when you expect it least."

Chuckling, Sans said, "G'night, Fuku."

He started to follow her, but stopped when Glen said, "I'm sorry … about bringing you all here."

"Hey." He said with a shrug. "It's okay; I know you'll get us back."

"I just … I could tell, y'know? You were happy. My path, it's trouble all the way. I just hope it isn't catching."

"Catching?" Sans said with a laugh. "Getting pulled into adventures spanning multiple dimensions is hardly the thing you can avoid with disinfectant spray."

Sighing, Glen said, "I know. It's just … an old friend of mine had a habit of pulling people along with him. I don't want you to feel obligated to follow me."

"Don't worry." Sans said before leaving the room. "Though somethin' tells me at this point that even if we do go our separate ways, we'll just end up bumping into each other later."


	10. Chapter 9 - Teamwork

**Chapter 9**

 **Teamwork**

Sans, Glen, and Fuku returned to the Warehouse office the next day to find a familiar face waiting for them along with Agents Artie, Claudia, and Jinx. The sight of himself in a nice suit was strange, but Sans couldn't help but think it was a good look for him. A shame about the fedora, though.

"Look at that handsome devil." Agent Sans said with a grin. "You weren't kidding, Claudia; almost a dead-ringer for me."

"Almost?" Sans said, giving his doppleganger an odd look.

"All right, all right." Artie said before Agent Sans could respond. "Myka and Pete called this morning. They should be at the address you gave us any-"

A loud buzz emanated from the device Glen had told Sans and Fuku was known as a 'Farnsworth'. Nodding, Artie flipped open the cover and said, "Pete?"

"Yeah, we're at the antique shop now. Not sure what we're looking for."

"Like I said, third shelf to the right of the register, second shelf up from the ground to the right of an old cheese grater-looking thing." Glen said.

"Uh, right." A few moments passed before Pete said, "It's one of those tin-monkey things with cymbals."

Glen rolled her eyes. "Your other right, genius."

"Oh, uh … right." There was a loud zap followed by a yelp of pain.

"There it is." Glen said with a satisfied smile.

Pete returned to the little round screen of the Farnsworth, now holding an old dust-covered colander in his purple-gloved hand.

"There you go. Marjorie Husted's colander." Glen said.

"Marjorie Husted?" Said Myka, her face moving into the screen. "She helped develop the Betty Crocker character."

"Ooh!" Pete said, clapping his hands together. "Please tell me this artifact makes cakes."

Chuckling, Glen said, "Not quite. Marjorie hated the idea of women being influenced by the media into being domestic slaves. When she was told to make an icon that did just that, she was … not thrilled. The colander stops the user from being influenced by outside forces, in particular telepathic manipulation."

"And the downside?" Claudia asked.

"Uh, the holder will eventually fall into a catatonic state, unable to be influenced by anything else. It's a lot stronger when worn on the head." Glen caught the odd glances this revelation sent her way and quickly added, "Long story. The point is, I've got more addresses; dozens of artifacts just sitting on shelves not hurting anyone. All you have to do is go and pick them up before they ruin the world's day. The original Rubik's cube, Binney and Smith's crayons, Ole Kirk Christiansen's first Legos … might want to get on that last one quick, or Moose Lake's gonna undergo some serious restructuring."

"All right, all right." Artie said, rising to his feet. "What do you want in exchange?"

"Help. I need to find the source of the ichor, I need to find something to replace the soul of a bossun turned into a flower, I need a way to stop Error whenever he shows up again, and I need both the crystal with the imprint of this rune," Glen lifted her hand, showing the partial Inverse Harmonius on the back of her hand. "And a way to find the actual fragment itself."

A long moment of silence followed, after which Claudia shrugged and said, "Oh, is that all?"

Glen chuckled, though Sans was sure he could detect a hint of nervousness in the normally carefree Dreamer's voice. "I know it's a lot to ask, but this is the Warehouse, a place of Endless wonder; there are incredible things here, amazing things that could help. Yes, I know it's dangerous to use artifacts, and I'm not suggesting anything rash; I also know that Missus D-er, Claudia is very good at finding unusual ways to combine artifacts, maybe we can make a sort of homing sensor to find the inverse shard. If nothing else, I need help finding the crystal with the imprint. If you want us gone at that point, we'll leave. Still … I could really use your help.

Glen let out a deep breath. Sans had the feeling she'd rehearsed that little speech a few times during the previous night. If so, it was apparently well worth the effort; Artie, Claudia, and Agent Sans seemed to be on the fence.

"Very well."

Artie spun about, a hand quickly going to his chest when he saw Missus Dreemurr standing directly behind him.

Either not noticing or choosing to ignore Artie's response, Missus Dreemurr approached Glen and said, "You and your friends will be given freelance status. While you are here, you will be expected to follow Warehouse rules and protocols, especially regarding the secrecy of the Warehouse. Your first assignment will be ascertaining the nature of the substance you call ichor."

"Understood." Glen pulled a folded piece of paper from her pocket and handed it to Missus Dreemurr. "Here's the first list of artifacts. I'll have another by the time I reach Bright Falls."

"You mean we, right?" Sans said, raising an eye-ridge at Glen.

"No, I mean me." Glen said. "I'm immune to the ichor, remember?"

Sans didn't reply, though he did give Glen a very slight nod of appreciation.

"Nevertheless," Missus Dreemurr said, "You will take Agents Donovan, Sans, and Jinx with you, Missus Adams."

"Fair enough." Glen said. "Sans, you and Fuku work with the rest of the Warehouse on finding that imprint; track its resonance or it's flux, or I don't know; just find it. Er, please."

"And if we find Error?" Fuku asked.

"You probably won't." Glen put her arm around Jinx and Claudia, saying, "He'll likely come after us. After I'll, I'm the source of the bond; he'll have to take me out if he wants to jump dimensions."

"Lucky us." Jinx said with no enthusiasm.

Glen clapped Jinx on the back with a laugh. "Come on; we got a bit of a drive ahead of us, eh?"

"Shotgun on the radio." Claudia said just a second faster than Jinx as they followed Glen and Agent Sans out of the office. It was about that time Sans realized that Missus Dreemurr was gone again. It made him shudder a little; even shortcuts left a ripple in reality; the caretaker of the warehouse seemed to simply vanish without a trace, magical or physical.

"All right." Artie said, turning to Sans and Fuku, "First things first; I need your help getting Mel Blanc's Anvil back on the shelf."

 _(Author's Note: In future edits, the preceding section will be moved to the end of the previous chapter; it just feels like a better stopping point, as well as being a clear separation point, showing Glen, Claudia, Agent Sans and Jinx going to Bright Falls while LastSans, FellFuku, Artie, and Agent Papyrus deal with … well, you'll see.)_

Putting the anvil back where it belonged was a simple enough task, as it was weightless as long as it was being gripped by at least one hand. What followed, however, was vastly more interesting.

Warehouse thirteen was the latest in a series of warehouses to contain anomalous artifacts, the previous twelve having been destroyed in one manner or another over the years. The previous Warehouse had been in England, but moved as a result of the Blitzkrieg (Sans found Artie's wording of this rather strange; not 'they moved the warehouse' but 'the warehouse moved).

About this time, the Underground was freed by the efforts of a little orphan girl named Frisk. It was during the influx of monsters returning to the surface that the Warehouse made its decision to move to the subterranean caves of the Underground. Toriel, the guardian of little Frisk, was chosen as the new caretaker, a task she did well after Frisk grew up, had a family of her own, and eventually passed away peacefully in her sleep after a long and full life. The barrier, once the source of all the Underground's ills, now protected the world from the dangerous things kept in the caverns.

The vaults of the Warehouse now encompased the entirety of the Underground, utilizing the environments to better contain some of the more unruly artifacts. The offices and the normal-looking parts of the Warehouse were really just the tip of the iceburg, situated in what had once been Dreemurr Palace. Once they left the shelves of the former castle, Sans found himself staring out over what had once been New Home. The buildings were gone, replaced with shelf after shelf loaded with all manner of artifacts.

Snowden, Waterfall, Hotland, and even Old Home were now host to the Warehouse's grand collection of bizarre objects. Perhaps this was why Sans was so surprised to see the house he and Papyrus lived in (or at least the one from the Warehouse Underground dimension) standing amid the stacks as though it belonged there.

"Huh." He said, his skeletal hands holding the rail of the slow-moving cart. "I guess some things never change."

Artie followed his gaze and nodded. "Ah. Yeah, there are still a few houses down here. Quite a few monster agents work here; most just maintain the artifacts in their section; upkeep around here can get rather bizarre."

"I'd imagine so." Fuku said. "This much magic must get unruly."

"Unruly is putting it lightly." Artie said, "And that's just the artifacts that are magical in nature; most of this stuff is strange all on its own. That's why we go to such great lengths to snag, bag, and tag anything that might ruin the world's day."

"Whoa," Sans said, "Are you saying there's stuff here that could end the world?"

"Oh, yes." Artie said, "Ten-times over. Some of these artifacts do some pretty gruesome things. Here, at least, they're safe."

"So where does this stuff come from?" Sans asked. "I mean, if magic's only some of it, what makes the rest of it so volatile?"

"That, my friend, is the million dollar question." Artie said as he turned the vehicle back to the office. "What makes some old piece of junk have the ability to make someone as strong as a superhero? Or allows them to walk in someone else's dreams? Or produces a sound that induces a sense of pure happiness? If you're asking for some kind of unifying theme, let me save you some trouble: There isn't one."

Sans wasn't sure what to think of that. His own admittedly strong magical ability always made him feel like he had an answer for everything. Knowing that there were mysteries beyond magic, beyond anything he'd seen since stumbling into Glen and getting pulled along on her bizarre adventure was a little daunting.

He nearly jumped at the touch of Fuku's hand on his.

"S-sorry." He said, blushing and rubbing the back of his head. "Just got a little lost in thought, that's all. Too many thoughts rattling in my skull."

"I know the feeling." She said.

Artie drove the strange vehicle to what Sans was tickled to recognize as Grillby's. His joy was only slightly diminished when he found the inside had been converted into a field office.

"All right." Artie said, sitting down at the main console. "Given that you two showed up so soon after I caught your friend Glen eating my cookies, I'm guessing you arrived at the same time."

He brought up what appeared to be a map of the Underground. "All right." He said, "Glen claimed she appeared in my office. You two were near Mel Blanc's anvil, and Agent Papyrus found the other Papyrus just outside the Warehouse entrance."

Artie stopped typing and glanced at Sans with a curious expression. "Where is your Papyrus?"

"My Papyrus is a pile of ash in my home dimension." Sans said with a forced chuckle. "UNDR-Ground's Papyrus is back at the Bed and Breakfast."

"He doesn't want to help?"

"Oh, I'm sure he does." Sans said, "But him being here was an accident. I mean, it's the same with us, but Fuku's from the Underfell dimension, and I'm the last survivor from mine; we're used to trouble. We'd rather keep Papyrus safely out of all this until we can get him back home."

There was definite understanding in Artie's eyes as he said, "Gotcha. Well, I'm sure Leena could use the help."

He turned his attention back to the map, finally adding a red dot to signify where UNDR-Ground Papyrus was found. This left four dots on the screen in no obvious pattern.

"Could make a funny triangle." Fuku said doubtfully.

"That's a bit obtuse, Fuku."

She stuck her bright tongue at Sans. "Real acute, Sans."

"Geometry jokes." Artie said with a grimace. "Funny."

Chuckling, Sans looked at the screen again. "Hmm. Okay, so not a straight line, not a curved line, and not a triangle … so how about a circle?"

Artie quickly made a circle appear on the screen that connected all the current dots. "Okay, so we'll just cross reference this with the local sensor grid, see if anything in that area picked up any more arrivals."

"Wouldn't something like that have triggered your alarms?"

"Not necessarily." Artie said, "Artifacts can be a bit … unpredictable. Our normal alarms didn't pick up either of you arriving, after all. Could be interference from whatever you used to punch a hole in reality or …"

A few green dots popped up on the screen, all on or near the circle. Each dot was followed by the letters 'AD'.

"Or that." Artie said glumly.

"AD?" Fuku asked.

"Artifact disturbed." Artie said, bringing up a list. "It means someone's been redecorating."

"Your systems didn't see this before?" Sans asked.

"It just happened." Artie paused before continuing, "These artifacts are on the Aesop aisle."

"As in Aesop's Fables?" Fuku caught Sans's curious look and shrugged. "I've been reading a lot of human folklore … you know, for the book I'm writing."

"Yes." Artie said, pulling out his farnsworth. "Well, presumably; I wasn't around two-thousand years to see him personally."

The screen flickered to life a few moments later, revealing Papyrus's usual grin.

"Ah, Artie!" Agent Papyrus said, "How are our new friends getting along?"

"They're fine." Artie said quickly. "Pap, are you near the office?"

"In fact I am in the office. I was just finishing my report on-"

"We might have an intruder on the Aesop aisle."

"Indeed? Then I shall go and detain him!"

"No!" Sans said, shoulder past Artie. "He's dangerous, Paps; he shoots out these string-like things that can grab your soul and take control of you."

"Oh, Sans … er, other Sans … you worry too much! I'm a fully trained agent."

"Still," Artie said, "Better safe than sorry. Get a description of the intruder and report back as soon as you can."

"Can do, Artie!"

Closing his farnsworth, Artie asked, "Just how worried should we be?"

"Error seemed pretty sure about knowing how to destroy an entire reality." Sans said, an uneasy feeling in his ribs. "We stopped him at the Core in the UNDR-Ground … barely."

Sans paused, unsure whether he should explain the true nature of the Core before shaking his head and saying, "If he figures this place out, he won't need the core."

"Then come on!" Artie said before heading toward the door.

"Hang on." Sans said, taking Fuku's hand and reaching his other hand out to Artie. "I've got a faster way."

They reappeared right where Sans and Fuku arrived, right beside the shelf that once again held Mel Blanc's Anvil.

"We're … but how …" Shaking his head, Artie said, "Later. This way!"

They ran through the rows of shelves as the sounds of commotion grew louder. Still, it didn't take them long to reach the Aesop aisle.

Decorated with a definite Greek motif featuring lots of pillars and ivory. Amid all the steel shelving, it looked odd … though in truth, no stranger than some of the other aisles they'd passed. Sans could've sworn one of them was snowing, an impressive feat for a warehouse aisle in New Home.

The source of the commotion became clear all too soon; every pillar had a growth of what Sans mistook for ivies. In truth, they were grapevines, or rather they were all the same grapevine. It wasn't the grapevines that held the glitching form of Error, however, but what appeared to be a normal hemp rope, slightly chewed in some places. A metal ring in the center of the plinth that formerly held the rope prevented Error from escaping. Even stranger, Sans could see that the rope was moving of it's own accord, slowly moving up his arm and around his shoulder the harder Error tried to escape.

Sans moved forward only for Archie to hold him back. "That's Aesop's rope."

"His rope?" Fuku asked, frowning.

"Supposedly the same rope from the trap that caught the lion in 'The Lion and the Mouse'. This could work you our advantage. Listen, can you keep him busy while I go grab my bag?"

"Your bag?" Sans asked.

"Yes, my bag. I've got some handy artifacts stored in there for tight situations, including something I think might just keep your glitchy doppleganger from destroying any more universes. To the office and back, five mintues … er, ten minutes, tops."

Artie left without another word. Exchanging glances with Fuku, Sans shrugged and carefully approached Error.

"Hey there, buddy!" Sans called out, ready to throw himself behind a pillar if necessary.

Error turned and fixed Sans with a glare. "You! What did … you do to me?"

"Don't know what you're talkin' about." Sans said, putting his hands in his pockets.

"Don't lie to me!" Error snarled, still tugging at his ensnared arm. He shot a blue thread at Sans, but Sans was ready and dodged it easly.

"Problem?" Sans said.

Error glowered at him before tugging at the rope again. It was slipping down his leg now as well.

"So I'm guessing you can't shortcut outta here, huh?" Sans said, already guessing the answer. "Gonna be tough to destroy any realities when you're all tied up here."

"Laugh all you want." Error hissed. "This won't hold me forever."

"Maybe not, but it does give us time to have a little heart-to-heart." Sans said.

Error's gaze went to Fuku, who was walking cautiously behind Sans. Snorting, Error said, "And you, I'll snuff you and your parents out like stubborn birthday candles. I've done it before, you know."

Cheeks glowing brightly, Fuku took a step forward only for Sans to stop her.

"He just wants you to try burning that rope away, sweetie." Sans said. "Catch you all hot-headed and make you free him. Best let him sit there."

Fuku lowered her hand, though she continued to look daggers at the glitching skeleton.

"Easy." Sans said, putting a hand on her shoulder. "He's stuck here. Look at him."

Error's eyes went down to the rope, which was starting to bind his legs together. "It won't stop be forever."

"Doesn't have to stop you forever, bro." Sans said. "Just has to stop you long enough us to figure out what to do with you."

Error sent a dozen threads toward Sans, but even the threads seemed to get caught in the rope, eventually doubling back on Error.

"Of course, if you can tell me why you've decided its your job to destroy everything …"

"Because these other realities shouldn't exist!" Error snarled. "They're abominations!"

"Why?" Sans asked with a shrug. "What makes them so wrong? You may be psycotic, but deep inside I think there's still a little of me left in you. We may be lazy, but all these different realities … aren't they cool?"

Sans gestured to the pillar-lined shelves. "I mean, look at this place. Glen says it exists in her reality, but here it's been fused with the Underground. Or take the UNDR-Ground, where our people made Ebott into a media sensation with our own shows and movies. Even Underfell, as bad as it was … wasn't it just a little interesting to see how things could've been different?"

"You're an idiot." Error said, eyes flashing. "You've been corrupted by that … that …"

Error's eyes widened. "Glen … that human woman you were with. It's her, isn't it? She did something to me."

Before Sans could respond, Error let out an angry shriek. A Gaster Blaster, the normally white bone now as glitchy as Error himself, appeared above the trapped skeleton and fired.

Sans shielded his eyes from the blast. When the warping lights faded, he looked up to see Error floating over the remains of a pillar, the ends of Aesop's rope still trailing from one hand.

"Where is she?" Error said, raising his hand to command the Gaster Blaster to fire again, this time at Sans and Fuku.

A blast of electricty caught Error from the side, knocking him across the aisle and into one of the pillars with a sickening crack. Sans and Fuku turned to see Artie, a strange gun in his hand as he hurried toward them.

"C'mon." Artie said, grabbing one of the fallen skeleton's arms. "This won't keep him down long, and I've got an idea how to hold him."


	11. Chapter 10 - Welcome to Bright Falls

**Chapter 10**

 **Welcome to Bright Falls**

Glen stood at the front of the ferry, her hands on the railing as she stared out into the distance at the town of Bright Falls. It was a quaint little place, with old banners still up for something called 'Deer Fest'. Glen smiled at that, reminded of her old hometown of Bridges. It seemed such a long way away now.

"Hey, Dream-girl."

Sighing, Glen said, "Yes, Claudia?"

Claudia stopped, raising an eyebrow at Glen. "You did it again."

"Did what again?"

"Every time you say something to me, there's just that little nervous hesitation. It's weird to think of someone walking on eggshells around me."

"Not that unusual." Glen said with a laugh. "Everyone in the warehouse of my reality's a bit … nervous around you. Same way you're nervous around Missus Dreemurr."

"But Missus Dreemurr is the caretaker of the …" Claudia's eyes went wide. "Oh."

"Don't worry; you do a great job. You brought me onto the team, though we do have a tendency to argue."

"We do?"

"Yeah. Like the time I found Yoshiaki Manabe's guitar."

"Lead guitarest of the Pillows?" Claudia asked.

"Right in one. Awesome little toy there; has a built in amp with an in-built generator. When you hit someone with it, with the generator going, of course, the impact is magnified one-hundred fold." Cracking a grin, Glen said, "Sucker makes for a killer solo too. I wanted to keep it, but you made it pretty clear there wasn't going to be a negotiation. Never really knew why."

Chuckling again, Glen said, "Then you took control of the radio. Now I think I get it. It's so strange to see you so … well … human."

Claudia's smile faded. "I'm pretty stiff as a caretaker, huh?"

Shrugging, Glen said, "Hey, it comes with the job. Still, sometimes, after bringing in an artifact, I'd get you talking about the old times. That's how I know about Jinx, Pete, and Myka … though I have to tell you, Artie's a human in my reality. The previous caretaker was as well; Missus Fredricks, you called her. Never met her myself, but you seemed fond enough of her."

Now it was Claudia who smiled. She leaned on the railing. "I don't suppose you could just tell me about some of the cool swag we bring in around your time."

"Well, some of it's on the list, to be honest." Leaning closer to Claudia, Glen said in a low tone, "I'm hoping to save your Warehouse from some of the more interesting accidents from my own time. That's why I put the legos on the first list; for such a small, simply toy, those bastards put up one hell of a fight."

"I know the bastards hurt when you step on them barefoot." Claudia caught Glen's curious look and said, "Myka bought Pete a lego pirate ship for their anniversary. It's strangely adorable to see him try and stick the pieces up his nose to impress her."

Claudia and Glen laughed at this until Jinx asked, "So, what are you ladies talking about?"

"Pete's unusual mating habits." Glen said with a grin. "I was just filling Claudia in on her alternate self."

"Oh." Jinx said, looking as though he weren't sure what to think about that. "Am I still around?"

"Before my time." Glen said, "But she told me about you, Jinxie. The human lie-detector. So it's not like an artifact power or anything?"

"No," Jinx said, joining them at the railing. "Just something I've always had, like Pete's vibes, Myka's eye for detail, and Artie's ability to locate cookies within a ten-meter radius."

They shared a chuckle at that. Glen stood up and popped her back with a sigh as the ferry drew close to the landing. The town ahead looked inviting, though she did notice one discrepancy.

"Say," Glen said, turning to face their car. "Where is Sans?"

"Asleep in the car." Claudia said, jerking a thumb at the vehicle.

Glen chuckled and shook her head. "Some things never change. Say, is my gear in the car?"

"Artie said-" Jinx began.

"-Not in public, I know. Artifacts are one thing, but my equipment's from an alternate future. Nah, I just wanna grab my glasses."

Claudia gave her a look. "They're just glasses, right?"

"Mostly, yes." Glen said as she approached the back of the car, "I modified them a bit, yeah, but nothing crazy. Zoom feature, night-vision, and Flux-scan. Could come in handy … plus I'm a little near-sighted."

There was a thud from within the trunk moments before Glen's hand touched the handle.

"Wait!" Jinx said, a worried look on his face. "That wasn't me."

"Huh?"

"I didn't hit the button."

Claudia, Jinx, and Glen all stared down at the trunk for a long moment before another thud sounded from within. They quickly gathered around the trunk, Claudia and Jinx drawing their teslas after making sure the ferry driver and the other riders weren't looking their way. Nodding at them, Glen threw the trunk open to reveal a skeleton wearing an apron that said 'Bone Apetite!'

"Oh, hello!" The Papyrus from the UNDR-Ground said cheerily as he sat up. "Are we there yet? I am simply famished!"

"Papyrus?" Glen said, eyes wide. "What … what are you doing here?"

"Why, I'm here to assist you, of course!" After Glen helped Papyrus out of the trunk, the skeleton chef continued, "Of course, I forgive you for leaving me behind; this hunting for artifacts thing is very exciting, and I'm sure it was simply an oversight during a moment of excitement."

"Uh, yeah." Glen said uncertainly. "Sorry about that. I just didn't want to, uh, presume upon your greatness."

Papyrus gave a great laugh. "Not to worry; I am ever happy to assist in your endeavors. So … what is it we are going again?"

"Lookin' for black goop." Sans said, hanging out of the window. "Hey, bro. Could you keep it down a little? I'm bone tired."

"Agent brother!" Papyus said, lifting Sans from the car. "This is no time to laze about and make bad jokes. We have an investigation to begin!"

Before anyone could stop him, Papyrus ran to the edge of the ferry and leapt over the remaining few feet of water to the dock beyond. A grinning sun-glasses-wearing Sans tucked under his arm, Papyrus waved the others to follow. "Come on! Adventure awaits!"

"Uh, Pap?" Glen said, pointing at the car.

Pap followed her finger and promptly clapped a hand to the top of his skull. "Ah. Yes, that would make more sense. Come, Sans! The Back-seat awaits!"

The Oh Deer Diner was a comfortable little restaurant with bar-stools around the main counter, old but lovingly tended booths, and a surly-looking fellow in the back grilling burgers. The waitress greeted them with a smile before pouring a cup of coffee for one of the diner patrons, a forest ranger from the cut of his uniform.

"Table of five?" She asked as she turned back to them.

"Yes, please!" Papyrus said before anyone else could respond.

Glen shrugged and nodded in agreement. The waitress showed them to their seats, pulling a table up to the booth to provide room for everyone.

"What can I get you to drink?" She asked.

"Coke. Or Pepsi, Miss …" Glen glanced at the waitress's name embroidered near the collar of her uniform. "Rose. Say, is that Rose Marigold, by any chance?"

"Why yes it is." Rose said, an uncertain smile on her lips. "Do I know you?"

"Probably not." Glen said, "But I've read about you. You were one of the last people to see Alan Wake, right?"

The mere mention of the name 'Alan Wake' made a wave of emotions cross the waitress's face: the joy only capable by the biggest of fans, happiness at potentially meeting another fan, and eventually sadness.

"He was here, you know. He stopped here the night before he vanished." Rose sighed and shook her head. "He was a bit rushed, but still, it was such a thrill, y'know? To meet the man behind all those wonderful stories. Is that why you're all here?"

"Oh, yeah." Claudia said, Jinx wincing at the lie. "He was definitely one of the horror greats, right up there with Stephen King, Clive Barker, and er-"

"Sutter Cane?" Glen suggested with a slight shudder. When everyone looked at her in confusion, she shook her head and said, "Er, never mind. Probably not a good example anyway."

I even had the big cardboard cutout of him here at the diner. Just doing my part to help promote his work." Rose's brow furrowed. "I never did find out who took it. Still, when I heard about the accident … it was like hearing an old friend died, you know? His wife was here for months after, always hoping he'd return, always fearing his body would be found. They dredged Cauldron lake time and time again, you know, but never found anything."

Making a mental note to make Cauldron lake their next stop, Glen said, "I'm sorry, but I have to ask … there's a rumor going around that Alan Wake finished one last book before his disappearance. They say it was found right here."

Rose went completely rigid for a long moment. Worried she'd gone too far, Glen said quickly, "Ah, never mind. I mean, it's probably just a rumor anyway." Quickly looking over the menu, Glen added, "Er, I'll have a Chicken Strip Basket with onion rings instead of fries, if that's okay."

That seemed to snap Rose back into reality. "Uh, right. Sorry; I've been working a long shift. One cola and a cluckbox with rings instead of nails."

She took the orders from the rest of the group quickly before telling them she'd return with their drinks shortly. Once she was away, Agent Sans commented, "That was odd."

"Indeed. Papyrus said, rubbing his jaw. "You would think an establishment such as this would have sweet tea."

"No, I mean the way she froze up when you mentioned the book."

"Yeah, she went completely bye-bye." Claudia said. "Leena said the book tried to suck her in; could it have affected Rose?"

"I don't know, but something tells me bringing it up again is a bad idea."

"Agreed." Glen said. "We've got a lead anyway; Cauldron Lake. I'd like to take a look at that place."

"But if they already dredged the place, what exactly are we supposed to do?"

"I just want a little look. If things are promising, I've got this." Glen pulled a pebble from her pocket and held it up. It looked wholly unremarkable, which made its true nature all the more unusual. "Civet's Pebble. According to legend, it once absorbed the waters of an entire ocean. Seriously pissed off the water dragons."

"Water dragons?" Claudia asked even as the others stared at Glen.

Coughing, Glen said, "Er, this was back in my home dimension."

Glancing at the counter, Glen said, "I could use some local knowledge; be right back."

"Need some what?" Jinx said, but Glen was already approaching the counter surrounding the cash register, where Rose was pouring their drinks while her ranger friend chatted about nothing in particular.

"I beg your pardon, sir." Glen said, "You mind if I ask you a question? See, me and my friends were thinking about doing a little hiking, and a friend who was up here a while back told me he ran into these weird splotches of black tar in the woods that-"

Rose let out a shriek, dropping the glass of soda she'd been holding to the floor.

"Rose?" The ranger said, "Rose, what's wrong?"

"It's inside me!" She shrieked, "It's in my head! I can feel it in my head!"

The Ranger grabbed Rose and tried to hold her still as she thrashed about. "Al!" He shouted, "Need a little help here! Rose is having another fit!"

The cook hurried over to help, only to get a high-heeled foot squarely in his most sensitive spot. Glen hurried to help. Quickly dodging a kick, the Dreamer knelt beside the thrashing waitress and put her hands on either side of Rose's face.

"Look at me." Glen commanded, "Look in my eyes."

"The darkness … the darkness …"

"Look at me!"

Rose's eyes met Glen's. Light poured from Glen as she let a small part of her true self be revealed. The natural luminescance flowed into Rose, making her go rigid once again before finally passing out.

Glen closed her eyes, forcing her true self back as the Ranger demanded, "What was that? What did you do to her?"

"You said another fit. She's had these before?"

"What? Yeah, ever since she found that damn book."

"This book?" The voice was Claudia's. Glen opened her eyes to see Claudia holding up a picture of Departure.

The Ranger nodded. "Yeah. I was here when she found it; she was sure it was written by Alan Wake. I organized a quick search of the town, but never found him. When I came back, she was already reading it."

Glen nodded. "And the fits came after, right?"

"Yeah. It was small at first; she'd go still for a few moments like she lost her train of thought or something. Then, once she finished, the convulsions started. She'd scream for hours until the book went missing. The fits improved after that; this was the worst one in a while."

"Hopefully it'll be the last. Just in case …" Glen pulled one of the lumite medallions she'd made and slipped around Rose's neck. "This might help out."

As if to make Glen's point, Rose stirred slightly. "Rusty?"

"I'm here, Rose." Said ranger Rusty. "You're gonna be okay."

He helped her to her feet, still seeming a bit shaken. "I'm sorry … I don't know what came over me."

"Not a problem." Glen said. "Just glad you're feeling better. Mister Rusty, was it? Maybe you should see her home."

"Yeah." Wheezed Al the cook. "I'll finish up these last folks and close up for the day."'

"T-thank you." Rose said, leaning heavily on Rusty as he guided her out of the diner.

"I can assist!" Papyrus said, standing up so abruptly that he nearly knocked the table over. "I happen to be an excellent chef."

The chef nodded gratefully and accepted Papyrus's help getting back to the kitchen.

"Well," Sans said as the group returned to their seat. "That was interesting."

"Ichor possession." Glen said. "At least the remnants of it. I've only seen in once; a lizard resurrected into a temmie. Nasty business, though it's the soul-less part that kept us from fully healing the poor kid. Rose should be fine. This does mean we've got an ichor infestation on our hands, though."

Sans shook his head. "Could be worse. Could be a big nasty monstar. Get it? Mons-tar?"

"Sans!" Papyrus shrieked from across the diner as the warehouse agents chuckled.


	12. Chapter 11 - The Glass Ocean

**Chapter 11**

 **The Glass Ocean**

It is a strange fact that the names of things and places often are wholly inappropriate. Settlements with names like Happiness and Pleasance often have the most violent of histories. It's not uncommon to find towns named Oasis on seaside coasts, or cities like Glenvale nowhere near a tree. To an uninformed mind, the name Silent Hill could seem to indicate some kind of retirement community, which is … well, let's just say not the case.

Sometimes the deception is unintentional. That a city in the middle of the desert is named Seagrove may seem funny in the here and now, but who knows? That city might have once been a little town by a sea long since run dry. Landscapes change, life grows and dies only to begin anew, and history has a way of repeating itself. That doesn't explain why crime bosses the universe over name their biggest beefiest thug 'Tiny', but some questions have no easy answers.

The Glass Ocean, on the other hand, was perfectly named, something Asriel, Golemite, and Shye discovered soon after they stepped from the stone roads of the skyway onto blue sands. Asriel had never seen a beach before, and almost laughed at the feel of the sand shifting beneath the pads of his feet. Even more amazing was the Glass Ocean itself in the distance, an endless sea that was so calm it looked like polished blue glass, perfectly reflecting the light of the stars (or whatever it was that shone over the Deep). There was a light on the distant horizon, like that of a moon just waiting to rise.

With a laugh, Shye tagged Asriel and took off running. Asriel followed, laughing as he chased Shye to the edge of the ocean. Mina hissed and leapt off Shye's shoulder as the catgirl drew near the water.

That was when they learned that the Glass ocean did not in fact simply look as smooth as glass. Shye jumped at the edge of what she must've presumed was water only for her backside to come down on the apparently very solid surface.

"Ow!" She said, clutching her backside as her tail lashed back and forth. "What the heck?"

"It's really glass." Asriel murmured, touching the surface of the ocean with one finger. Oddly enough, the glass seemed to give way to his claw after a moment, though to his finger it felt as solid as ever. He quickly pulled his hand back, his claw sliding out easily and the small hole refilling before he could blink.

Golemite scratched her chin for a moment before raising one foot and bringing it down hard. Asriel half-expected the glass to shatter beneath her feet, but it didn't even wobble.

"Huh." Golemite said, scratching the side of her head. "Now ain't dat somethin'?"

A sudden splash made the three of them jump. A fish that looked to be all points and edges leapt out of the water, its body glinting in the light before it slipped back beneath the surface. Mina watched the fish with obvious interest, though she made no move to approach the ocean.

"I'm thinkin' you fleshy types aughtta keep away from the local wildlife." Golemite said, quickly ushering Asriel and Shye away from the ocean. "Dat ting looks like it could jump right through you."

"Hey!" Shye said, pointing at where she was squinting. "There's a boat!"

Sure enough, a small vessel could be seen in the distance. About three times the size of Golemite, the vessel wasn't so much cutting through the ocean as it was gliding over it.

"Now ain't dat somthin'?" Golemite said. "Look at 'er go!"

Asriel nodded, his eyes on the coasting vessel as it zoomed across the smooth expanse of the ocean. As he followed its progress, he caught sight of its destination, a cluster of seashells in the distance. Even from a distance, Asriel could make out the lights of a settlement.

"Whoa!" He said, pointing, "Is that Starhaven?"

"Must be." Golemite said. "Cor, dose shells must be giant. Never saw somethin' like dis in da Brass woods, eh Shye?"

A black form darted forward, followed by the much smaller blur of Mina. "Last one there is a rotten egg!"

Asriel took off after her immediately. It felt good to run, especially with the cool sand under foot and the light of the starry night. The sea breeze spurred him on all the faster, laughing as he chased Shye across the sands toward the ever-growing lights of Starhaven.

A slight shudder in the ground soon revealed its source as Golemite; the massive stone woman roared past Asriel and Shye like a runaway steam engine, massive stone feet sending sand flying behind her. Asriel struggled to keep up, but there wasn't much that could keep up with Golemite once she got up to speed, especially in her new body.

Asriel and Shye did have one advantage over Golemite. When they reached the edge of town, both Shye and Asriel were able to stop relatively quickly, while Golemite … well, as they say, a body in motion stays in motion. Sliding across the sand with her arms flailing, Golemite continued sliding through the city gates and well into the central square. Her momentum carried her forward right into the stone base of a large statue of what appeared to be a pirate mermaid bearing a flintlock pistol in one hand and a cutlass in the other. A grin adored the mermaid's face, the eyepatch and sharp teeth making her smile considerably more malicious … and slightly familiar.

The stone base of the statue shook from the impact, but amazingly remained upright. Golemite, on the other hand, fell backwards into the sand, much to the amusement of the bystanders.

"Golemite!" Asriel said, hurrying over to his friend. "Golemite, are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm good." Golemite said, still lying in the sand. "Bloody stupid place to put a statue."

Asriel opened his voice to reply, only for someone else to say, "That statue has been there for hundreds of years. It's of the founder of Starhaven, Ruby Eye Ryleena."

The speaker was a lamia with a tail of blue scales, her face similar though not identical to Jenny. She smirked as Golemite slowly struggled to her feet. "She was every bit as unyielding as her statue. That pedestal's twenty feet deep."

"Twenty feet." Golemite repeated, putting one hand against the statue's plaque to steady herself. "That feels about right."

The lamia chuckled and turned to Asriel. "I'm Bella, Jenny's sister. She told me to be expecting you. Something about exploring the boundaries of the Deep?"

"That's right." Asriel said, shaking Bella's hand. "Asriel."

"Nice to meet you." Bella turned to Shye. "And if she's Golemite, that makes you Miss Shye."

Shye gave Bella a small curtsy, her tail bobbing behind her. "Hello, Miss."

"Hello there." Bella said, smiling at the cat-girl. "Now, if you don't mind, we should go to my shop before you attract any attention."

Sure enough, some of the locals around the central square were watching them. Some weren't even bothering to hide their curiosity, and more than a few looked to be somewhat shady. Asriel couldn't help but notice that most people, Bella included, carried a knife. He felt worried for a few moments before remembering his own weapons, the shattered crystal blades as good as swords to one of Asriel's size.

Bella's shop was definitely a curiosity in and of itself. Built inside one of the many massive shells of the city, it looked at first glance to be the sort of souvenir shop one might expect by the seaside, full of things covered with shells, trinkets from the ocean, and more than a few t-shirts. That was only the front room, however; Bella quickly guided them past the mouse-eared young woman currently working at the counter and through a curtain of hanging shells into a much larger room filled with provisions and equipment clearly meant for long journeys.

"I get a lot of business from explorers, adventurers, and the occasional unsually driven salesperson looking for new clients." Bella told them. "There's a lot of expansion going on, both here and on Gealle, a large island to the northeast. Gealle's a tourist trap: overpriced resort, a massive amusement park, and restaurants. If the prices weren't jacked beyond belief, I'd recommend hiring a ship there."

"Can't we just walk across the ocean?" Shye said. "I mean, it's glass."

"It looks like glass." Bella corrected. "Let me show you something."

Bella led them to an aquarium filled with a blue substance Asriel supposed was water from the Glass Ocean. A small, sharp-looking purple fish was swimming through it as though it was nothing. Bella pulled a coin from her pocket and dropped it into the aquarium. For a few moments, it simply sat on the surface of the 'water'. Just as Asriel was about to ask Bella what she meant, the coin slowly slipped into the water. It was slow, but it nevertheless sank until it hit the bottom of the tank.

"It's solid for a time, yes." Bella said as her fish curiously circled around the fallen coin. "But stay still long enough, and you'll slip under it. Once it has you, it's extremely viscous, so you can't just swim back up. The local magistrate has walls of missing person posters, all people who made the mistake of tackling the Glass Ocean on foot … without the right equipment, of course."

Bella slid across the floor, ultimately leading them to a table with three backpacks already prepared, one massive one and two smaller ones.

"These supplies should last a few weeks, if you ration them properly." Bella said.

"And then we'll reach the edge of the Glass Ocean?" Shye asked as little Mina hopped onto the table and tentatively tapped her paw against the packs.

Shaking her head, Bella said, "That'll get you to the Netallis islands. Not much out there, but you might be able to resupply on one of the islands before heading further east. The furthest I've head someone reaching is an atoll about three hours east of the Netallis islands."

"Any idea what's out there?" Asriel asked.

Bella shrugged. "Only rumors. Some people claim the ocean just drops off into nothingness. Others claim there are great sea monsters that will eat anything that gets to close. A few people have speculated that the Glass ocean simply goes on forever."

"That don't make sense." Golemite said. "I mean, either dere's somthin' else, or it just loops around to the Drifting Meadows, yeah? And if dat was da case, the Skyway Repair Crew woulda heard about it."

"Who's to say?" Bella said with a shrug. "Perhaps no one's guessed the truth. Perhaps no one's ever gone far enough to see the truth. That's why I've decided to pay for your supplies myself."

"You what?" Golemite said, raising a stone eyebrow at the lamia.

"I'm a businesswoman." Bella said matter-of-factually. "And Jenny told me about the Precious Meadows out beyond the Brass Woods. My sister Rommie's already bragging about the profits coming in from both the new goods and the real estate. I never gave much thought to what's out beyond the Glass Ocean, but if there's another Precious Meadows out there, I want a piece of that pie." Giving the three adventurers (and their three-eyed flynx) a sweet smile, Bella added, "That's why I'm coming with you."

"What?" Asriel said, surprised. "You're coming with us?"

"Yes." Bella said. "Ellandra and her brother already do most of the work around here. Most of what I do is paperwork, and frankly, I'm ready for another adventure."

Asriel and Golemite exchanged glances as Bella picked up a smaller pack and a carved walking stick with a jewel-encrusted handle.

"I trust this isn't a problem." Bella said, "Seeing as I'm funding this little expedition and all."

Shrugging, Golemite said, "Just as long as you know da risks. We could be runnin- into dangerous stuff out dere."

Bella chuckled and shook her head. "Don't you worry about me. I can take care of myself. Besides, you'll need my help to procure a good vessel. There are a lot of sharks out there, and I'm not talking about the razorfins."

"All right, all right." Golemite said. "At least this way it's even."

"Even?" Bella asked.

"Yeah. Two boys, two girls." Golemite patted Asriel on the back. "Ain't no one claiming the Skyway Repair Crew ain't about equality."

Shye giggled as Bella gave Golemite a questioning look. "Um … quite. Well, if you're ready, we should head to the docks. We'll pick up some lunch and see about finding a skimmer to take us to the Netallis islands."

"Ooh! Lunch!" Shye grabbed her pack and jogged to the door back to the other part of Bella's shop. Turning to the others, she said, "C'mon already! I'm hungry!"

The Starhaven docks were in many ways bigger than the city of Starhaven itself. Some of this was from the numerous restaurants and souvenier shops for the occasional visitor from Nowhere, but most of the space was to accommodate for the ships themselves. First and smallest were the skimmers, small ships like the one Asriel, Golemite, and Shye saw before reaching Starhaven. There were quite a few of these, mostly fishing trawlers and transports to some of the smaller port cities further along the western side of the Glass Ocean.

Next were the slicers, small one-to-three person ships surrounded by three circular blades similar to those of a circular saw that cut through the Glass Ocean while propelling the craft forward. They were lightning fast, though tricky to pilot, and saw the most use from lifeguards picking up people slowly sinking into the Glass ocean, or law enforcement attempting to catch up quickly with a departing ship.

Finally were the cutters; these ships resembled those of the surface long past, differing only in the sharp edge running from the front, along the length, and all the way to the back of the ship. Cutters weren't as fast as slicers or as convenient as skimmers, but were not as reliant on power cells, being propelled through the Glass Ocean by a combination of wind and auxiliary blades capable of being turned by hand. These ships were the ones that made the journeys to the islands, as they did not risk becoming stranded and slowly sinking into the Glass Ocean.

Bella explained all of this to Asriel, Golemite, and Shye as they ate at a nice restaurant at the docks. Shye, Bella, and Asriel ate sushi made from the local fish, which turned out to be quite flavorful once the sharp scales were removed. Golemite dined on shellfish, simply popping them into her mouth and crunching them, shell and all.

"So we're gonna charter one of the cutters?" Asriel asked, setting his chopsticks on his plate.

Bella nodded. "I've dealt with many of the captains around here while running my shop. I'd like to think I've earned some good will, provided any of them are at port at the moment."

"And if they aren't?" Golemite said.

"If they aren't, we'll just have to find someone else." Bella said. Her tone was dismissive, but Asriel got the impression that she didn't think much of the captains she didn't already deal with.

The server, a slender insect woman in a kimono, gracefully set another plate of sushi in the center of the table. This particular roll was arranged and decorated to resemble a green sea dragon.

"Very nice, My-shal." Bella said, bowing her head to the server, who nodded in reply before gracefully moving away from their table.

Just as Asriel picked up his chopsticks to try a bit of the dragon, he heard a voice call out, "Asriel? Asriel Dreemurr?"

Surprised to hear his surname, Asriel twisted in his seat to see the speaker, a small raccoon lady wearing khaki clothes, a pith helmet, and a pair of spectacles attached to a silver chain. He thought she was a girl at first, only to realize that she was in fact merely short and a bit on the squat side. Still, there was something about her that seemed strangely familiar, something he couldn't quite put his fingers on.

She smiled nervously as his eyes met hers, and held out a shaking furry hand. "Um … h-hi there, M-mister Dreemurr. You don't know m-me, but I'm a b-big fan of you and Mister G-golemite."

"A fan of me, eh?" Golemite said, her grin widening.

There was a touch of terror in the raccoon-lady's eyes as she looked at Golemite. It occurred to Asriel that Golemite's new appearance might not have gotten around yet, so he quickly said, "Of us, Golemite. No hogging all the glory."

"I don't hog." Golemite said, pausing to crunch another shellfish into oblivion. "I'm just bigger. Dat means I'm a bigger part of the team."

"Your head is bigger, you mean." Asriel said, flicking a bit of wasabi at his friend. Golemite. Golemite blocked it with her massive hand, chuckling all the while.

"P-please." The raccoon lady said, "M-my name is P-professor Sylpha Delange, of the Kollecka Institute of Higher K-knowledge?"

Asriel didn't recognize the name, but both Golemite and Bella seemed to recognize it.

"Long way from the Chorus mountains, Doc." Golemite said.

"P-professor." Sylpha corrected.

"Professor of what?" Bella asked, seemingly a little suspicious.

"Deep History. History of the Deep." Sylpha pulled off her helmet and held it in her hands. "I c-couldn't help but overhear that you're planning an expedition? To the Netallis Islands and beyond?"

"You overheard correctly." Bella said. "May I ask what you want of us?"

"Oh, yes. Right. S-sorry. Um, well, I was wondering if you … that is to say, Mister Dreemurr and Golemite … I was wondering if you are planning to try and reach the other side of the Glass Ocean?"

"Yup." Shye said before grabbing another piece of sushi. "I'm betting jungle."

"Jungle?" Asriel said, "Why a jungle?"

"Cus I wanna see a jungle." Shye said as though that explained everything perfectly. "And maybe a lagoon … with real water, not this glass stuff."

Asriel was still considering this when Sylpha stammered, "I was wondering … I mean, if you don't mind … I know you might already have other plans …"

"Spit it out." Bella said, her smile belying the no-nonsense tone of her voice.

"I would like to c-come with you." Sylpha said, her blush showing through the white fur of her cheeks. "I've found records in the Kollecka library that s-suggest there might be the remains of an ancient civilization beyond the Glass Ocean."

"Ancient civilization?" Asriel asked. "But how could there be? The Deep was born of the Everstar."

"Y-yes, but …" Sighing, Sylpha said, "What if something was here first? What if the Deep formed over another realm? What if the Deep is connected to something bigger, something so much larger than any of us ever imagined? I've found ruins in the Chorus Mountains that predate the rock strata, trees in the Brass Woods that are older than the oldest parts of Nowhere. It would not surprise me to find something similar even in the Precious Meadows Mister Dreemurr and Golemite so recently discovered."

"I've been thinkin' 'bout dat too." Golemite said. "I mean, someone had to build Archie and Beget, yeah?"

"And Serenity Spire." Asriel said, nodding at Golemite.

"Exactly!" Sylpha said. "It may even be that the previous civilization is still there, just waiting for us to find it! Could you imagine all we could learn from them?"

There was a definite gleam in Bella's eyes that prompted Asriel to add, "Can you imagine the opportunities?"

"Damn straight I can." Bella said. "All right, if it's okay with the others, I won't object … though I get first dibs on any business opportunities."

"Er, right. Of course."

"And you'll need to find your own supplies."

"Oh!" Sylpha hurried away from the group only to return a few moments later with a massive pack that towered over her.

Golemite eyed the pack and said, "Got enough gear, have ya?"

"Oh, yes." Sylpha said. "After all, if there is another civilization out there, I need to record and take samples of everything. Headmaster's orders. There's also the question of language, since it's highly unlikely that any civilization that does or did predate the Deep would be unlikely to speak the same-"

"All right, all right!" Bella said, raising her hand to call the server. The insect woman hurried over and cleared away the plates. There was nothing left; Shye had finished off the dragon herself while everyone was talking. "Asriel? You okay with this?"

"The more the merrier." Asriel said, smiling at Sylpha despite the nagging feeling that he'd met her before, despite the fact he knew he'd never met any raccoon monsters in the past.

"Excellent!" Sylpha said, shaking the hand of everyone who offered their own. "You won't regret it, Mister Dreemurr."

"Just Asriel is fine." He told her as she shook his hand.

"Asriel." She repeated, looking much relieved. "Thank you, Asriel."

The group departed the restaurant after paying for their meal, all eager to hire a cutter and begin their journey. As soon as they were gone, the server returned to the kitchen, where a tall muscular figure in a heavy leather coat was patiently sitting in a chair, her legs propped up against one of the cabinets and her long green tail swishing back and forth over the floor. Three other insect people, two little girls and one man with a bruised mandible, were chained to the pipes of the sink. The fear in their faces was alleviated by the approach of the server, but only a little.

Bumping her hat up to reveal her eye-patch and her one amber eye, the lizard-woman grunted at the server. "Well?"

"They are heading to the Netallis Islands." The insect-woman said, trying to hide her nervousness. "They plan to go beyond, to the other end of the Glass Ocean. The Professor will be accompanying them."

The lizard-woman considered this a moment before setting her heavy boots on the wooden floor of the restaurant with two heavy thuds. The insect woman shrank back as the lizard-woman approached her.

"I have done what you asked." The server said, both sets of hands fidgeting nervously. "Please … release my family."

Grunting again, the lizard woman held out a gloved hand with great force, making the server flinch. The lizard woman opened her hand, dropping the key to the floor in front of the insect woman.

"Not a word to anyone, or I'll be comin' back." The lizard woman said as casually as a regular patron might comment, "See you next time". She walked out of the kitchen as the server picked up the keys and hurried to her family.


	13. Chapter 12 - Thinking on Your Feet

**Chapter 12**

 **Thinking on your feet**

Moving Error was difficult; Aesop's rope was still spreading across his skeleton, slowly taking over more and more of the skeleton. On one side, this would make it difficult for him to move about once the effects of Artie's Tesla gun wore off. On the other side, according to Artie, touching the rope would entangle whoever touched it as well. As such, Sans had to be careful as he carried his darker self to a place Artie referred to as 'the Bronze Sector'. The meaning of the name became clear; the room was half-filled with what appeared to be statues of humans and monsters made of bronze, their hands in the air as though they'd been held up by a gunman.

"Put him in the chamber." Artie said, already tapping at the console beside the massive chamber at the end of the room. "And make sure he's secure!"

"Got it." Sans said, releasing his hold of Error and using his telekinesis to carry Error into the chamber. The reason for the posture of the statues became clear when Sans spotted the metal shackles for restraining a person's hands.

Fuku apparently came to the same conclusion. "Oh my god … you mean all these bronze people-"

"Are extremely dangerous." Artie said. "Trust me; if they're in here, there's a good reason."

Sans secured the last shackle and quickly stepped out of the chamber. The door slid shut moments later, a loud klaxon sounding as the machine stirred to life.

"And … done." Artie said, tapping the console one final time. The small window that allowed someone to look into the chamber was soon clouded with white fog. When the fog faded, all that was visible was Sans's own bronze skull.

Breathing a sigh of relief, Artie said, "Well, that wasn't so bad, was it?"

"Will this hold him?" Sans asked, peering into the chamber.

"He is a statue, unless someone's stupid enough to unbronze him." Artie said as the chamber door slid open, revealing the rest of Error's frozen form. "Sans, would you …"

Nodding, Sans used his telekinesis to remove Error from the chamber and put him with the other frozen figures. As he set his other self down, he couldn't help but feel a little strange; covered in bronze, Error really did look just like Sans, aside from Aesop's rope.

"What about your artifact?" Fuku asked.

Artie shrugged. "Glen said this guy's destroyed realities. Normally I hate losing artifacts, but under the circumstances, I think you'll agree it's worth the cost."

"So … that's it?" Sans said, his eyes on the bronzed Error.

Chuckling, Artie said, "When you've been with the Elsewhere as long as I have, you long for the days when things work out this easily. Besides, we still need to find that stone of yours. Assuming that the void space Error jumps in and out of maintains a constant entryway and adding the Aesop aisle to the map along with your own arrival points … yes, it looks like the theory regarding the circular pattern of dispersal was correct."

"All right." Sans said, clapping his hands together. "So I guess we just walk the circle and keep our eyes out for a hunk of crystal the size of a fist."

"Sounds like a plan." Fuku agreed.

Artie nodded. "All right. We'll stay together, though; no offense, but you're still new to the Warehouse, and I wouldn't want to have to explain to Missus Dreemurr that you got yourself strangled our melted because I wasn't watching you."

"You'll get no argument from me." Sans said, taking Fuku's arm under his own. "Even a bone-head like me's seen enough not to go poking around a place like this."

"Let's just hope the crystal doesn't have any unfortunate reactions with the artifacts. The last thing we need is a bunch of dimensional rifts opening up around here." Artie sighed before motioning for them to follow him. They departed the bronze sector, which unfortunately meant they were out of earshot when the first bronze flakes covering Aesop's rope fell to the floor with light 'tink' sounds.

* * *

The prius slowed to a hald just in front of the ramp leading down to the edge of the lake. Glen let out a whistle as she took in the magnificent view.

"Look at that." She said, holding up a hand to shield her eyes from the sun. "Tell me that ain't a view worthy of a post-card."

"It is quite a lovely sight indeed, Missus Glen." Papyrus said, his sockets staring out at the sight before them.

Cauldron Lake spread across the caldera, its shimmering waters surrounded by lofty peaks that seemed to stretch into the clouds. The water itself seemed unusually dark. This was due to mineral deposits from the mountains, according to the pamphlet Claudia snagged from the Oh Deer Diner. All in all, it was a perfect view of nature as yet unspoiled by the hands of humanity or monster … at least, it looked to be that way at first glance.

As Glen, Claudia, Jinks, and UNDRPapyrus reached the bottom of the criss-crossing dirt ramp that led to the edge of the lake, they came across the frayed ends of some rope and a few termite-ridden planks.

"Huh." Jinks said. "What do you make of this?"

"I dunno." Glen said, squatting beside the remains. "A bridge maybe?"

"Bridge to where?" Claudia peered out over the water. "I don't see anything."

"Hmm." Glen pulled her glasses case from her pocket. "One sec."

She slid the glasses over her eyes, upon which the objects in the distance became just a bit sharper, as is normal for any pair of properly prescribed glasses for a near-sighted man or woman. However, most glasses do not glow briefly when the bridge is tapped, altering the view to see different visual spectrums. Unfortunately, these did not help either; heat sensors were no good, as the cold water of the lake made it impossible to detect any heat beneath. Echolocation provided some rough images as well, but without any color or an idea of what she was looking for, it was all a bunch of lumps to her.

Glen pulled off her glasses and chewed one of the earpieces thoughtfully for a few moments. It was then she felt it; something tingly in the air that was distantly familiar.

"Any luck, Gizmoduck?" Claudia asked Glen.

Glen shook her head. "Water's blocking everything. I can see some kind of structure, but I can't make it out."

Claudia held out her hand. "Gimmie."

Glen hesitated a moment before handing over her glasses. Claudia slipped them on and stared into the water a moment, her fingers tapping along the frames before finding the trigger spot on the bridge. She tapped it a few times, her grin widening.

"Definitely something down there all right." Claudia lowered the glasses and turned to Glen. "I've got an idea. You mind if I play with this for a sec?"

"Just as long as I get them back." Glen said.

"Sure thing. Maybe not in one piece, but hey, nothing a little glue won't fix."

Glen glowered at Claudia as she crouched beside the wooden boards to dig in the depths of her backpack. Shaking her head, Glen again found her attention focusing on the strange feeling in the air. She slowly approached the edge of the lake herself, trying to put a finger on where she'd felt it before. It was so distracting that she barely noticed Agent Sans walking up beside her.

"Heya." He said, giving her a little wave. "You okay, Missus Glen?"

"Yeah." She said, still staring out over the lake. "I just … can you feel that?"

To her surprise, he nodded. With a sidelong glance at Jinks and Papyrus, who were commenting on the scenery, Agent Sans said in a low voice, "Somethin's changed around here. Something big. Massive reality alteration."

"You sure?" Glen glanced at Agent Sans, who gave her what could only be described as a look. "Right. You know your reality shifts."

After a momentary pause, Glen asked, "Did it happen a lot here? With Frisk, I mean?"

"A few times, yes." Agent Sans said. "Nothing like what happened to your Sans; Frisk told me she was attempting to find a way to save Asriel. Never worked; Flowey's in stasis over in the Warehouse's Green wing. Still, I can't blame her for trying."

"No, I suppose not." Glen sighed and stared out into the water of the lake. "It's connected with Rose."

"The waitress? You said she was infected by the ichor."

"Yes, she was … past-tense. If she had any ichor in her system, I would've drawn it out of her; it was more like a memory or a dream of ichor somehow buried in her mind." Glen shook her head. "If the ichor infection still manifests psychologically after a reality shift … damn. Just what the hell is this stuff?"

"Got it." Claudia said, a small jeweler's tarnished eyepiece now attached to the right lens of Glen's glasses, another artifact no doubt. "It's a house."

"A house? You mean like someone's living there?"

"Not unless they can breathe underwater." Claudia said, handing the combined glasses back to Glen. "Besides, place is a wreck."

Glen looked through the glasses. To her surprise, she could see through the water as though the lake had been completely drained. Sure enough, there was a small cottage on the lake bed, partially deteriorated from long-term submersion.

"Looks like it was built on an outcropping that partially covered the caldera." Glen commented, "Probably a small island that collapsed later."

"So Missus Wake's story was true." Jinks said, "There really was a cabin here."

"I dunno." Glen said. "I'm seein' a lot of algae growth. This cabin looks to have been down there for quite some time."

She handed the glasses to Jinks, who nodded after a few moments. "I'd say years, at least."

"Perhaps the woman in the mourning veil has something to do with it." Papyrus suggested.

Everyone slowly turned to Papyrus, who held up the folder containing all the information Claudia had gleaned from the local police records. "According to the report of Missus Wake, her husband spoke of a woman in a mourning veil who gave him the cabin key and directions to this location. Even more interesting is the fact that the cabin the Wakes actually rented belonged to a Mister Stucky, who reported that Mister Wake and his wife departed the Oh Deer Diner before he could give them the key."

"Well, well, well." Claudia said, raising an eyebrow. "Sounds like this lady in the mourning veil set them up."

"But what about the cabin?" Jinks asked. "It's at the bottom of the lake."

"According to Missus Wake, there was a cabin here when she and Mister Wake arrived." Papyrus said, opening the dossier. "After they settled in, there was a bit of a fight, after which Mister Wake apparently left the cabin in a huff. The last thing Missus Wake remembers is making her way downstairs only for something to grab her and pull her out of the house and into the lake. My word; what an ordeal! I do hope she was not traumatized by it all."

Glen didn't respond; her eyes were on the lake. Without the glasses, it suddenly looked a lot less friendly and a lot more ichor-ey.

"I need a closer look." She murmured. "Agent Jinks? I need to get my gear."

* * *

Sans and Fuku walked through the shelves of the warehouse with Artie a few yards ahead of them, presumably tracing the circular pattern indicated by their arrival. Sans examined the aisles with interest for a time before realizing that Fuku appeared lost in thought.

"Hey." He said, bumping lightly against her side. "You okay, Fuku?"

"What? Oh, Sans … did you say something."

"I asked if you're okay." He said. "You look like you're a million miles away."

Her cheeks burned brighter. "Oh. I'm sorry; I just … I was thinking of Toriel and Dad back in the UNDR-Ground."

"They're okay." Sans told her. "They were uninjured when we left, remember?"

"I know, but with us disappearing like that, I'm worried that they're worried, you know?" Sighing, she said, "Dad's always so worried about me. Miss Toriel too, I suppose, and Frisk and Asriel as well. I … I miss them, Sans."

She looked at him, fear in her bright eyes. "What if we can't get back? What if we can never go home again?"

"Easy there, sweet flame." He said, rubbing her cheek. "We'll get back, I'm sure of it. Glen will find her rune and bring us home. Then we can start preparing for the wedding."

"Wedding?" She asked, eyes widening.

"For Grillby and Toriel." Sans said quickly. "Y'know, if he managed to propose."

"Right." She said with a nervous chuckle.

Sans found himself watching at her as they walked, her eyes on the floor and her cheeks still bright. Slipping his hand into hers, he kissed her on the cheek and said, "Thanks, Fu."

"For what?" She asked.

"For bein' so understanding. With me, with my jokes and my goofy nature, and with all this crazy stuff that keeps happening. We should be at the movies or having dinner back in the UNDR-Ground, yet here we are in a top-secret warehouse filled with artifacts that are weird even by monster standards."

"It's not your fault." She said, squeezing his hand. "It's just … it just hit me, you know? How small we are in the grand scheme of things. All these other dimensions, all these other versions of you and me … the sheer number of possibilities, it's just … overwhelming. UNDR-Ground wasn't really so different, you know? Same faces, just with a bunch of cameras. I guess I always thought other realities would be like that … mostly the same, with some small differences, not … this."

She gestured up at Dreemurr Palace in the distance, still every bit as impressive even surrounded by tall shelves.

"It's different, yeah." Sans said, "Me, I was kinda hopin' for a spaceship. Y'know, some reality where we're all soaring the cosmos. I'd look good in spandex, yeah?"

Fuku looked at him for a moment before bursting into giggles. "I think that would be a bit of a stretch."

Chuckling, Sans said, "Nice."

"If you don't mind." Artie said, not turning to look at them. "I get enough of the bad jokes from our Sans."

"Are you saying I should shelve the puns?" Sans asked with a grin.

Artie stopped and turned, a surly expression on his face that quickly changed as his eyes darted upwards. He pointed and said, "There!"

Sans and Fuku looked where he pointed; there, on top of one of the shelf stacks, next to what appeared to be an antique water dispenser and an old rotary phone, the side of a crystal could just be seen.

"Nice eye." Sans commented. "I'll just take that."

He raised his hand, fully intending to use his telekinesis to grab the crystal, only for a puff of pink smoke to hit him full in the face. He felt his magical power weaken as he fell to his knees, coughing."

"Crap!" Artie said, helping Fuku pull him away. "Jaquamo's Cape; Jaquamo was a tenth century jester who constantly vied for the attentions of King Erdrick the Third. His main competitor was the court magician, the Magnificent Heraldo; legend has it Jaquamo used the cape to sabotage Heraldo's magic so that the jester could win the king's favor."

"Yeah." Sans said, still coughing, "I got that. What's the downside?"

Artie glanced at the display of the green and red cape. "Uh … when the dampening effect wore off, Heraldo's powers came back, but they were unstable; Jaquamo was killed when one of Heraldo's tricks exploded."

"Cute. So I have to be extra careful with my magic." Sans said, finally catching his breath.

"So how are we going to get it down?" Fuku asked, eyeing the shelf of artifacts uncertainly. "I could climb up-"

"Bad idea." Artie said, "If Sans's magic triggered the cape, there's no telling what a fire elemental's resonant magical energy might do, not to mention how badly some of the artifacts might react to being burned. Unfortunately, that means there's only one thing to do."

With a sigh, the rabbit-man began to climb. Sans and Fuku could only watch as he slowly and carefully made his way up to the top of the shelf.

"Almost … there." Artie breathed, his fingers brushing against the side of the crystal.

Without warning, blue threads shot from behind the shelf and grabbed Artie's hand, lifting him clear from the shelf with a yelp. Error appeared a moment later, rising into view with a big grin, bits of bronze still on his shoes, and Aesop's rope still wrapped around his hand.

"Hello there." Error said to a terrified Artie. "Nice of you to hang around."

Artie's hand went for his tesla, only for another blue thread to wrap around his wrist and pull his arm back.

"Oh, no." Error said, "Now it's time for me to shock you."

A burst of fire made Error vanish and reappear a few feet to the side, his eyes now on Sans and Fuku.

"Ah, if it isn't my other self and his hot-headed harlot. Good. This means I can wrap up everything at …'

Error stopped suddenly. Sans felt something clench in the area where non-skeletal humans had a stomach when he realized Error was looking at the crystal.

"Now what is this?" Error asked, picking up the stone. "If it isn't the imprint from our little experiment. Whatever is this doing here?"

"Being an extremely ineffectual paperweight." Sans said, glancing at the nearby artifacts in hopes of spotting something he could use. Most of it seemed to be appliances of some sort, from a toaster that shot toast at fifty miles an hour, a blender that could merge ingredients at the molecular level, and a television set that ate the user's memories of other shows to produce new episodes of their favorite series. Then he saw it, right beside the television. Sans grabbed it and pointed it at Error. "Let him go!"

Error's grin widened. "Not to make light of your situation, but do you really expect me to be frightened of that?"

"You should be." Sans said with a grin. "After all, now I'm playing with power."

He pulled the trigger of the gray Nintendo blaster. A blast of light rocketed from the light gun and came within inches of hitting the glitching skeleton floating above.

"What the …" Error's eyes narrowed. "Just what the hell was that?"

"Bad news … for you." He fired again, this shot blasting through one of the threads binding Artie. Artie plummeted, hands out to protect his face, but he never touched the ground; Error's threads caught him by his legs and pulled him up as a shield as Error backed away, unaware that the crystal in his hands was now glowing, the imprint most of all.

Realizing what was about to happen, Sans shouted, "Wait! Error! STOP!"

* * *

The sun was just beginning to dip beneath the edges of the mountain as the metal ball broke the surface of Cauldron Lake and sank like a stone until finally coming to rest on the floor of the lake. At that point, the ball shifted, certain segments twisting and moving until it formed a small bug-like machine with six legs and a short scorpion-like tail. Its camera-like eye flared to life, shining brightly through the darkness of the lake water.

Above the surface, at the lake's edge, Glen said, "All right, Bubba's online."

"Bubba?" Claudia asked with a smirk on her face. "You named your robot 'Bubba'?"

"No, that's the name he had when he asked to assist me." Glen said, a touch defensively. "And he's not a robot; he's a skriever."

Claudia raised her hands, rolling her eyes as she said, "Okay, didn't mean to offend."

A few chitters came from the speaker of Headache's display. Grinning, Glen said, "He accepts your apology."

"That's our Claudia." Jinks said. "Always making new friends."

Claudia made a face at Jinks as Glen turned her attention back to Headache's display, now showing the view of Bubba the skriever. The view through the little Glyche-designed automaton's camera wasn't quite as good as Glen's artifact-enhanced glasses, but was impressively clear in its own right. She watched as the skriever skittered across the lake bed like a metal ant, climbing over rocks and debris until he reached the ruined steps of the porch.

"Huh." Glen said as Bubba reached the front door. "Doesn't look so bad, aside from being beneath the lake. Kinda reminds me of an old friend of mine; built a water-tight enclosure beneath a lake to keep away all but the most determined thieves."

"That's quite cunning!" Papyrus said, "Did it work?"

"Yes," Glen said, "Up until the damn fool nearly drowned himself while trying to dig the key to the outer access hatch out of his pocket. I told him to carry a respirator."

Shaking her head. Glen turned her attention back to the screen. The skriever was in the cabin now, making his way across the wooden planks of the floor. He approached something beneath a desk near a kitchen. It was a book entitled, 'Dreams of the Midnight Sea', written by one 'Thomas Zane'. The book looked to have fallen out of a box that itself fell from the desk above it. Upon examination, the box was filled with more books, each also written by Thomas Zane.

"Hmm." Glen said as Bubba scanned the books. "Someone was a fan. This might be worth a look."

"I'm on it." Claudia said, hurrying to her laptop, currently on the hood of the car. After a few moments of tapping, she shook her head and said, "That's weird."

"What is it?" Jinks asked.

"I'm not finding anything." She said.

"Hang on. Bubba, can you open the first book to the copyright page?"

Bubba complied, using his front pincers to carefully flip the cover and pages of the water-logged book. Claudia quickly read the copyright information and resumed her search, only to shake her head again.

"Okay," She said, "This is crazy; I can't find any record of the book or the publisher."

"What about Zane?" Jinks asked. "Anything on him?"

After a few more moments search, Claudia said, "Not finding any authors named Thomas Zane."

"Forget the book thing." Glen suggested. "Just see if you can find someone who might fit the location and the date."

"Right." Claudia said. A few moments more, and she said, "Thomas Zane, citizen of Bright Falls. Married to a Miss Barbara Jagger. Missing since …" Her eyes met Glen's. "… since their cabin on Cauldron Lake collapsed due to a mysterious earthquake."

Glen nodded before turning back to her screen. "All right; I saw some stairs. Can you check the second floor, Bubba? Hurry, if you can; sun's almost down out here, and I wouldn't want you to get stuck down there."

Bubba moved immediately, approaching the aforementioned stairwell as fast as his legs could carry him. There were only two doors at the top landing. One was a bedroom, a suitcase still lying at the foot of the bed. The second was closed, making entry difficult, if not impossible.

"Right." Glen said, "See if you can get the luggage."

Getting the luggage out of the house turned out to be quite simple, probably due to the water making it easier for the skriever to manipulate. Soon it was scooting the suitcase out of the front door and along the porch.

"And there goes the sun." Jinks commented. Sure enough, the bright orb was all but gone, leaving shadows that quickly spread across the lake as the light slid behind the mountains.

A muffled creak caught Glen's ear. "Watch it, Bubba.' She warned. "Sounds like that place is a second away from-"

Her sentence was interrupted by a much louder creak, followed by one of the porch posts collapsing. Bubba pushed the luggage as far as he could before quickly darting away only seconds before the roof of the porch came crashing down.

"Bubba?" Glen asked, her screen obscured by flying debris. "Bubba, you okay?"

After a few tense moments, a chirp sounded from Headache's speaker.

"Oh, goodness." Papyrus said, a hand on his ribs. "Thank heavens your little friend is unharmed."

Glen nodded. "That still leaves the luggage, though."

"Maybe the collapse knocked it out." Jinks said. "Look around and see if it made it out, er … Bubba."

After another affirmative chirp, Bubba scanned the area around the collapsed porch. When the debris settled, Glen spotted the tarnished metal of the handle right at the edge of the porch, held down by a heavy beam.

"Damn." Claudia said. "So close."

"Close enough." Glen said, taking aim with Headache. After glancing at the monitor of her other Headache unit, she made a small adjustment to her aim and fired her grappler into the lake.

"Aaaaaaand …' She murmured as the grapple shot through the water, eventually catching the handle perfectly. "Bam! Got 'er in one."

"Nice!" Claudia said. "

She tugged at the cable. For a moment, it felt as though the luggage shifted her way, yet even as she smiled, something seemed to tug back.

"Damn." She said, still pulling back. "It's caught on something. Don't worry; I got it."

She pulled again, this time using Headache's inbuilt strength enhancement. The luggage didn't move at all this time; it was as though she'd latched onto the lake bottom itself.

Before she could respond, she felt a strong tug at the grapple.

"What the …" She glanced at the screen again and immediately froze; she'd expected to see the luggage still trapped under the beam. She did not, however, expect to see the black oily tendrils of ichor sliding from beneath the ruined porch, wrapping around the luggage and the grapple.

"Uh-oh. Bubba, get back here on the double!" Tossing aside all subtlety, she linked the Headache units together, set the strength enhancement on full, and pulled with everything she had.

For a moment, she was certain she'd won. She felt the luggage come free and pull away from the ichor. The victory was short-lived, however, as the tendrils quickly sped through the water and wrapped again around the luggage and the grapple.

Glen struggled as much as she was able, but couldn't stop herself from slowly being pulled toward the edge of the lake. Claudia, Jinks and Papyrus latched on to her arms and pulled as well, slowing her movement toward the lakeside, but not stopping it altogether. Even Sans showed unusual energy as he quickly latched a cable onto one of Headache's support rings and tied the other to the front bumper of the car. A brief squeal of tired soon saw the group moving away from the lake again, albeit slowly.

"Something definitely does not want us getting that luggage." Jinks said as the group continued to struggle.

"Or maybe it just wants us." Claudia said, a hint of panick in her voice.

Glen didn't respond; the ichor was getting stronger. Indeed, as the last rays of light slipped toward the horizon, even the car ceased being enough to stop them from sliding back toward the lake. Despite her struggle, Glen couldn't help but feel a bit of horror at the idea of an entire lake of ichor.

"Glen!" Claudia said, full panic now in her voice. "Might be time to let go!"

"I can't!" Glen said, "Headache won't disengage while in use, and the remote grapple release isn't working!"

"They're grabbing the grapple wire itself!" Jinks said. "Can you cut it?"

"Yes, but if I stop pulling with my other Headache, we're all gonna go flying."

Fortunately, it didn't come to that. Bubba slipped out of the water moments before the sun was finally gone. The skriever quickly leapt onto the grapple cord, the tip of his scorpion-like tail glowing brightly as it started to cut through the cable.

"Ha!" Claudia said with a wide grin. "Bubba for the win!"

Glen smiled as well despite the continuing struggle, knowing that a skriever would cut through the cable in no time, and that although the luggage was gone, at least the team would be okay. The thought was comforting … at least until she felt both her runes pulse in response to a sudden surge of power..

"What the …" was all she had time to say before the world fell apart around them.


	14. Chapter 13 - A Momentary Respite

**Chapter 13**

 **A Momentary Respite**

There's something about Waterfall that just emanates relaxation. Perhaps it's the ever-present sound of flowing water, or the soothing light provided by glowing mushrooms. Perhaps it's the way every sound echoes ever so slightly, both off the cavern walls and from the echo flowers, creating a strange sort of natural reverb. Whatever gives the area it's unique atmosphere, there's also a loniness to the place that makes lone travelers introspective. According to some rumors, the settled parts of Waterfall came about when monsters simply lost the will to go any further.

Not far from the Snowden entrance, Jake the KEI-9 Unit trotted along the main path, his humming emanating from the speakers built into the screen that currently displayed the face of a cartoon dog. Beside him walked Frisk the human child, one of her hands on Jake's back as she eyed every shadow nervously and jumped at every sound.

The fourth time she jumped at a sound that turned out to be nothing more than condensation from the roof of the cavern falling to the floor, Jake let out a laugh.

"Relax, Frisk." He said. "Nothing's gonna happen to you while I'm here. Besides, the skele-dudes already said they got our backs."

She removed her hand from Jake's back to sign her reply. "Aren't you scared? It's so dark here."

"You kidding? Check this out!" Jake's screen lit up, fully illuminating the path ahead. Small LED panels opened on his limbs, shining light around them as well.

"I'm a light in the darkness!' Jake sang as Frisk giggled. His voice echoed around them, the nearby echo flowers repeating his words precisely. Chuckling at this, Jake added, "Besides, you're my friend. That means I'm gonna do everything I can to keep you safe."

She hugged his side for a few mments before signing, "What about Finn?"

"My bro?" A brief look of concern passed Jake's cartoon face, only to quickly be replaced with his usual silly smile. "Ah, he'll be fine. He's got a girlfriend named Kyra who's keepin' him on the straight and narrow while I'm gone."

"What is he like?"

"Finn? Oh, he's great. Couldn't ask for a better brother. He's a great pilot, and not to bad at fixin' stuff. Still, he has confidence issues sometimes. That's why I'm glad he has Kyra; poor guy'd probably fall apart without support. Besides, he's crazy about her. She's a quarian y'know. They're kinda like humans but more purple-bluey." He paused to watch as Frisk's hands moved again. "Well, of course they've kissed! Wouldn't surprise me a bit if he finally managed to propose to her. I mean, he's already gone through the gene sequencing so they can have kids." Seeing Frisk's curious expression, Jake added, "Er, it's complicated. Alien biology stuff; trust me, it's boring. The point is that they've had eyes on each other since they first met. 'Course, took me a little pushing to get things in motion, courtesy of the best big brother ever."

Frisk pointed at him, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes, I mean me!" Jake said indignantly. "You don't have to be biologically linked to someone for them to be family, you know."

Frisk's face fell. They walked in silence for a few minutes before Jake sighed and said, "You're thinkin' about Miss Toriel, aren'tcha?" When Frisk nodded, Jake said, "Yeah, she was nice. Reminds me of Finn's mom before … well, that's not important. We'll get you back to her, I promise."

Frisk still looked sad. Jake looked at her for a long moment before he said, "Climb on."

She looked at him curiously as he crouched down so she could climb on his back. After a few moment's hesitation, she did just that.

Standing up, Jake said, "We'll never make any progress goin' this slow. You ready to see some speed?"

Smiling, Frisk clutched at Jake's back plate and nodded.

"All right then. Here we go!"

* * *

"Let me get this straight." Undyne said, rubbing her temples with a black gauntlet as the other held her helmet under her arm. "You found a human and you just let her go."

Papyrus toyed with his hands, sweat rolling down his skull despite the fact he had no sweat glands. "Well … yes. I did … but only because I am certain she means no harm."

"That's not the point, Papyrus!" Undyne shouted. "One. One human soul. That's all we need to be free, and you just let her walk out of Snowdin."

"But we don't need to kill her." Papyrus insisted. "I've been puzzling about it and speaking with Jake and I think-"

"Jake? Who is Jake?"

"Oh, he is a robot dog who travels with the human Frisk."

"Robot dog." Undyne repeated, now regarding Papyrus with clear skepticism. "This human has a robot dog."

"Well, she doesn't have him; he actually belongs to a human named Finn Cresste, a human who drives cars that can go through outer space!"

Undyne blinked at Papyrus a few times.

"All right." Papyrus said, rubbing the back of his skull. "In retrospect, that does sound a little strange, but hear me out; much like monsters, a human's life is finite. Sooner or later, she will pass away naturally. So you see, we don't have to murder her for her soul!"

"And how long will it take for her to just keel over?"

"According to Jake, humans only live for one-hundred years." Papyrus said.

"One-hundred years?!" Undyne said, slamming her helmet into the side of a stone pillar, reducing the piece of armor into metal scrap. "That's practically forever. New Home's already overcrowded, and you seriously want me to go and tell King Asgore that we have the final soul, but have to wait a hundred years?"

"W-well," Papyrus stammered, "I think the King will understand that …"

Undyne clamped a hand over his teeth, her eyes narrowing … but not at him. She stared at the bottom of the short cliff, where a large swath of tall grass grew across the path. She was certain she'd heard a rustle within the blue blades, though her eye found nothing.

"Hmm." She said, removing her hand from Papyrus's skull. "Never mind. So this human … where is she now?"

"Well, she's heading this way." Papyrus said nervously. "Jake said-"

"Good. I'll take it from here." Undyne said, her fists clenching around the shaft of the spear.

"But Undyne, if you just give her a chance."

"Go back to Snowdin, Papyrus." Undyne said with a glare at the trembling skeleton. "In case she tries to double back … and if she does you are to bring her to me. Am I understood?"

Papyrus let out a sigh, a sad look on his skull. "I … I understand, Undyne."

"Good." Undyne watched Papyrus depart with a stern eye. Once he was gone, the hardness fell from her face with a sigh. She knew Papyrus meant well, but the last time she showed a moment of weakness toward a human, it cost her an eye. Besides, the King was counting on her. One last soul, and they'd be free.

Another rustle from the grass made her freeze. She glared at the grass, and again found nothing. This time, however, she didn't buy it; after a few moments, she made a pretense of turning and walking away until anyone hiding in the grass was no longer able to see her. Then, careful to remain close to the ground so she would remain unseen from the lower path, she crept back to the edge and waited for another rustle, her spear in hand.

"C'mon." She breathed, excitement at the upcoming fight, at finally getting the last soul needed to free her and her people from the Underground. She was poised to strike, her focus slowly tuning out all other sounds of Waterfall; the distant rush of water, the drips of water falling from the cavern ceiling onto the ground and water below, and the occasional clatter of stones. The waterfall near the entrance tended to pick up gravel and small rocks and drop them into a steadily growing pile of stones at the bottom. Some days, the sounds of rocks hitting the pile echoed through half of Waterfall, sounding very much like the footfalls of a small band of horses. In fact, there were apparently quite a few stones falling that day, as despite her attempts to focus, the sound of falling stones seemed to be getting quite loud.

"HEEYO!"

Undyne turned, her eye wide as Jake came bounding across the cliffside, Frisk clutching his back. He bumped Undyne in passing, causing the startled Captain of the Royal guard to stumble back over the edge and fall into the grass below.

"'Scuse me!" Shouted Jake's voice as the robot dog and his human rider continued onward.

Furious, Undyne rolled over in her armor, only to find herself face to face with the eager face of a young lizard monster.

"Gah!" Undyne said, stumbling to her feet.

"Undyne!" Monster Kidd said, "Oh, Wow! You're so cool!"

Grunting, Undyne glanced back at the cliff side. "Damn! They got away!"

As she started to hurry down the path in hopes of catching up, Monster Kidd called out, "Are you chasing a bad guy?"

"Yeah." She said, forcing a smile. "And when I catch 'em, we're gonna be able to leave the Underground."

Monster Kidd's eyes went wide. "WOW! That's awesome!"

Grinning a little, Undyne turned to leave only to freeze when Monster Kidd said, "Why not take the shortcut?"

"Shortcut?" Undyne said. "Where? Where's it lead?"

"The other side of Waterfall, of course!"

"Show me!"

* * *

Jake ran through the caverns of waterfall until he felt Frisk's hand patting his side insistently.

Skidding to a halt, Jake asked, "Everythin' okay, small fry?"

She shook her head and quickly slipped off Jake's back. Jake realized the problem immediately, having seen Finn standing similiarly as a kid.

"Ah. Right. Um …" Glancing around, Jake spotted a clump of weeds poking out of the water. Pointing at it with one paw, he said, "That'll do at short notice. I'll look the other way."

Nodding gratefully, Frisk hurried away as Jake turned to give her some privacy. He wandered to the other side of the walkway and stared at his reflection. The Everstar shard glowed beneath his chassis. Jake wasn't sure exactly what it was, but felt comforted by its presence. It made him feel … warm.

"Finn woulda loved this place." Jake said as he poked a nearby echo flower with a metal paw. "We've seen a lot of weird stuff, but this place … and it's on Earth too. I mean, yeah, the forests of Neukara are pretty awesome, and there's something about the urban sprawl of Omega I always liked, but …"

Jake stopped, memories coming back. "Oh … that's right. Omega's gone now. Strange; it really was a complete hole, but for awhile it was still home to me and my bro … and now it's just gone. We got away, but the Sun-Cruncher's still out there, and that psycho Illusive Man, there's no tellin' what he's gonna gobble up next."

Jake turned at the touch of Frisk's hand on his shoulder plate. Smiling at her, he said, "Sorry; didn't mean to put that on ya. I guess I'm just worried about my bro, y'know?"

Frisk hugged Jake's face plate. He let out a quiet chuckle. "Thanks, Frisk. I guess there's nothin' really for it anyway; I can't get back to Finn until we find our way outta here. Besides, I still gotta help my new little sister."

Frisk gave him a puzzled look, making Jake laugh. "I mean you, silly! Speaking of, you ready to get movin' again?"

She nodded, pausing to adjust her shorts before climbing back on Jake's back. Jake ran across the wooden planks, occasionally leaping over small gaps and corners just for the heck of it. They ran across a few monsters in passing; a small onion-like creature, a squat grumpy-looking thing next to a large block of some sort, and a large cephalopod who waved at them as they passed.

Eventually, they came to a chamber bisected by a thick river. It wasn't the gap that gave Jake pause, however, but the small duck standing on the other side. It wasn't a duck person, and didn't appear to be monsterous in any way; it was just a duck that happened to have yellow feathers.

"Um, hey." Jake said. "Can you understand me?"

"Quack."

"Right." Jake sighed and turned his monitor to the side. "Hold on Frisk; I think I can clear the gap."

Frisk tightened her grasp on Jake as the KEI-9 unit backed up to get a running start. Once he felt he had enough space to get up to the necessary speed, Jake ran as fast as he could toward the edge of the water.

They were only feet away when Undyne burst through the water, spear in hand. Quickly spotting them, she brought her spear down with frightening speed. Jake managed to stop mere inches away from being impaled.

"Give me the human!" Undyne said, lunging forward.

Jake leapt back out of her reach, Frisk pressing against his back. His cartoon face now annoyed, Jake said, "Hey! What's your problem with my little sister?"

"She's a human!"

"Yeah, and I'm a robot dog. You got a problem with that too?"

"I don't have time for this!" Undyne grabbed Frisk by the arm and yanked her from Jake's back.

"Finally!" Undyne said, a malicious sharp-toothed grin on her face. "Our freedom."

Seeing the look of pain and fear on Frisk's face, Jake charged his capacitors and shot a blast of electricty from his monitor. It wasn't very powerful, but Undyne's metal armor magnified the effect. She shook erratically as electricity arced across her armor, the hand holding Frisk going numb. Frisk managed to free her arm without getting shocked herself and quickly climbed back on Jake's back as he crouched down for her.

Jake leapt for the other side, but without a running start barely made it half-way. Fortunately, something grabbed him before he could hit the water. He struggled, thinking Undyne had recovered from the stun blast, only to realize it was the yellow duck. Against all logic, the duck was carrying both him and Frisk to the other side of the chamber.

It set them at the edge about the time Undyne collapsed on the other bank of the river. Twitching, she struggled to roll over to face them.

"Not … over." She managed, her face a mask of rage. "Gonna … stop … you."

"Blah, blah, blah." Jake said, his cartoon face sticking its tongue and blowing a raspberry at her. Glancing back as far as he was able, Jake said, "We better beat feet while fish-face here's still stunned. You ready?"

Giving Undyne a fearful glance, Frisk nodded.

"All right." Jake paused and turned to the duck, "Thanks for the lift."

"Quack." The duck said, settling back down as though ducks carrying robot dogs was an everyday thing for it.

Shrugging, Jake ran out of the room. Undyne struggled to regain control of her body, but couldn't do more than flail about a bit. She was still trying when a smiling face popped out of the water.

"What do … you …want?" She managed.

"Ferry said he'd ferry you for three Gold Pieces."

"You … expect me … to … pay … for bringing … me … here?"

Ferry spat three coins, one after the other, at Undyne. Two bounced off her breastplate while the third hit her in the forehead and stuck there. Undyne growled at the little monster as it slid beneath the water, a pleased smile on its face.


	15. Chapter 14 - Reset

**Chapter 14**

 **Reset**

Glen floated silently through an immense dark void, devoid of even the slightest bit of light or warmth. The darkness was so complete that she couldn't even tell if her eyes were open. It wasn't merely physical either; her mind felt as though it were filled with dense fog; even trying to think took considerable effort that she found herself increasingly unable to muster.

How long had she been there? How did she get there in the first place? Was there even a way out, or was she doomed to floating there forever? In truth, it wasn't exactly a horrible experience. Floating in the void was a rather restful experience, something Glen didn't have too much of these days.

She should've known it wouldn't last. The darkness fell away as something landed across her stomach, jarring her from her dreams and back into her bedroom in the Cherry House of Ebott.

"Wha …?" She said, grabbing the thing that fell on her. The thing giggled and tried to get away, but Glen's grip around the little girl's waist soon tightened.

"Oh, you think you're real funny, don't you, Frisk?" Glen said before mercilessly tickling the little girl's sides. Frisk's giggling turned into shriek's of laughter as she struggled to escape, to no avail.

Her laughter abruptly changed to coughing. Glen ceased her assault and helped Frisk to sit up, patting her back softly as the little girl continued to cough.

"Wow." Glen said as Frisk's coughing fit drew to an end. "You sound like crap. You really gotta cut out all that smoking, Frisk."

Frisk blew a raspberry at Glen before slipping from the table and running out of Glen's room. Glen wasn't surprised she was still coughing a week after recovering from her cold; she herself was pretty miserable for a month last time she caught the bug. It was a shame that the monster's healing magic did nothing for illnesses.

Shaking her head, Glen rose from her bed and prepared for the day. Once she was done in the bathroom and was properly dressed, Glen walked to the kitchen, where Frisk was currently poking through the ceramic pots.

"Cold." Glen said tauntingly as she walked to the fridge. She watched as Frisk climbed onto the counter and looked in her cupboards. Chuckling, Glen said, "Freezing cold. Sans or Toriel with you?"

Frisk shook her head. After reaching the last cabinet, her tiny shoulders sagged.

"Tell you what." Glen said, picking up the little girl. "Let's go chat with your parents, and if they're okay with it, I might see fit to giving you a few cookies. Deal?"

Frisk beamed and nodded. Glen lifted the little girl from the ground and lifted her over her head so that she could sit on Glen's shoulders.

It was a lovely day outside, made even lovelier by the first of Asgore's flowers beginning to bloom. Glen was glad to see someone use the space, and even assisted the former King on occasion with moving bags of fertilizer or pulling weeds.

The beauty of the day was marred by the sounds of angry shouting the closer Glen and Frisk approached the house currently rented by Toriel and Sans, a nice little place, if a bit small for such a large family. As they neared the front door, Glen could make out portions of the conversation.

"…don't pay, you can sleep on the streets."

"But Mister Towers!" Said the flustered voice of Toriel. "We've paid our rent punctually since we arrived here."

"Oh, so you think that means you can be late this month?" Said the voice of Bergin Travers, a human of Glen's acquaintance who handled the business aspects of land-lording so that Glen could focus on her work. "That's not how it works. Our rates are perfectly reasonable, and if you can't pay, then you can take it up with Mister Adams."

Glen frowned, her eyes narrowing. She opened the door and stepped into Toriel and Sans's small living room, where Toriel and Bergin stood less than a foot apart, an uncertain look on the former's face. Bergin, a thin mouse-haired man, didn't bother looking Glen's way.

"Didn't think you'd care for that." Bergin said, nodding. "That's smart. I'm only following his rules, after all, and if he wants to charge you monsters more for rent, you'll have to either deal with it and pay, or get evicted like your ex-husband."

"What?!" Glen said, instantly outraged.

Bergin spun about, eyes wide. "Glen? I didn't realize-"

"Oh, no. You want to bring Mister Adams into this, then let's do just that.'

"It's fine, Glen." Toriel said, bowing her head. "I can't afford to be evicted."

"You won't be." Glen said, her eyes on a very nervous Bergin. "So what's this about monster tenants being charged more than humans?"

Bergin looked as though he wanted to melt into the wallpaper, but said nothing. Unfortunately for him, Toriel and Sans were less reluctant to speak.

"Everyone knows that Mister Adams charges a premium rate to monsters." Sans said, giving Glen a curious look. "Two, three, even four-times if he thinks they can afford it. It's not like we have a lot of options; the guy owns half the town."

"Half of Ebott?" Glen said, a little surprised. "I didn't realize."

Sans snorted. "You need to spend less time in your workshop; the whole town knows, especially after ol' Asgore got kicked out."

"Sorry," Glen said, shaking her head, "I meant I didn't realize I'd built so many houses. I'm Mister Adams."

Toriel gasped, bringing a hand to her mouth.

"My full name's Glenda Adams Soleil. I registered the homes under my maiden name specifically so I wouldn't have people coming to me for every complaint. Like you said, I've got enough to deal with in my workshop. Instead, I trusted Bergin to handle the administrative stuff, a move I'm seeing now was a mistake."

Turning her attention fully on Bergin, Glen said, "So, care to explain yourself?"

Bergin shook his head slowly before meeting Glen's gaze. "They're monsters."

Glen frowned at the man she formerly thought of as a decent fellow. "That's all? That's all you have to say for yourself?"

"They're monsters!" Bergin said in the same tone a parent would use to explain something obvious to a particularly stubborn child. "Besides, I ain't doing anything that others aren't already. You think the other landlords aren't charging monsters double, even triple the rent?"

"I don't particularly care what the other landlords are doing." Glen told him. "You're fired."

Shock registered on Bergin's face. "What?! But you can't-"

"As per our written agreement, I'll give you a month to clear out of the Madison house and I'll even throw in your last paycheck … but after that, I don't want to see you again. Ever. We clear?"

"But-"

"I'm being nice." Glen said, frowning at him. "You want me to get mad about this?"

Bergin hesitated only a moment before leaving the house in a huff, slamming the door behind him. A near-deafening silence followed his departure, broken only by Glen's sigh.

"I'm sorry about that." Glen said, rubbing her forehead. "He seemed a decent enough guy when I first met him. I dunno, I guess sometimes, there are things you just never know about a person until it's forced to the surface."

After another pause, Glen turned to Sans and said, "Well, anyway, I need a new superintendent. Whaddya say, Sans?"

"Me?" Sans said, a hand on his chest. "I ain't sayin' no, but why me?"

"Well, Pap is busy with his restaurant, and your Missus has her work with the school. Besides, I know you hate having to jump between so many jobs. I'll offer you twice what I paid Bergin, and give you full reign to lower the rents to whatever you think is acceptable … after all the monsters affected by Bergin's price-gouging have six months rent free."

"That's very kind, but can you afford that?" Toriel asked.

Glen waved her off. "Of course. I was rich before I even came to Ebott. I didn't even need to rent out the houses in the first place; that's why I let Bergin take care of everything. Speaking of, I'd say you're welcome to the Madison House once he's gone, but he's probably gonna trash the place, y'know, in retaliation. Even if he doesn't, if he hates monsters so much, he might leave other … surprises. A thorough check could take months, so I'd like you to consider moving into the Cherry House in the meantime, rent-free of course."

Toriel clasped her hands together, an overjoyed expression on her face. "You'd allow us to live in your lovely home?"

"Of course. Place is too big for just me anyway, and you need a bigger place. Besides, Frisk already claimed a room for herself anyway; might as well make it official. I mean, if you're all interested."

Sans held out his hand. "Sounds good to me … landlady."

The world dissolved the moment Sans touched Glen's hand, Toriel, Frisk, and even Glen herself eventually vanishing from sight and leaving Sans sitting on the concrete floor in a white, brightly lit hallway.

The dream, if indeed it was a dream, had seemed so real … and yet, Sans felt a strange disconnection with his actions. It was more like he was playing a part in a play, expressing emotions without truly understanding their source. Now that it was over, he found himself wondering if it was just a random dream, or if he'd somehow seen a part of Glen's life, with himself playing the part of the Sans of universe J-27.

It took a few moments for the disorientation to pass, but when it did, the reality of the situation came crashing down on Sans. Whether intentionally or by accident, Error activated the imprint of the Inverse Harmonius, which meant they were now in yet another reality. Even worse, he was alone; no Error, no Artie, and no Fuku.

"Fuku!" Sans called out, rising quickly to his feet and looking around the hallway for signs of his girlfriend. "Fuku, can you hear me?"

There was no reply. Forcing down the panic quickly rising beneath his ribs, Sans ran down the hall, around the corner, and immediately crashed into a woman wearing a lab coat, sending the folder formerly in the researcher's hands to fly into the air.

"Whoa!" Sans said, first catching the woman to keep her from falling and then holding his hand out at the papers. The individual pages fluttered madly through the air under the control of his telekinesis, eventually falling into a near stack.

Handing the folder to the researcher, Sans said, "Sorry about that. Say, have you seen a young lady? Fire elemental, light blue?"

The researcher's eyes bugged out, the effect magnified by her thick glasses. "P-please …" She whispered. "Don't hurt me."

"Hurt you? Nah, lady, I don't go around hurting people. Don't have the stomach for it. Eh?"

Sans lifted his shirt, revealing his lower ribs and spine. He expected the woman to laugh; humans always laughed at that one. This is why he was caught off-guard when she ran away, screaming, "Containment breach! Containment breach! An SCP has escaped containment!"

"Uh-oh." Sans said. "That can't be good."

* * *

Glen awoke with a start. She peered around the dark room blearily for a few moments, the confusion brought from of her dreams of the past eventually replaced with the confusion as to her location coupled with annoyance: another dimensional shift, this one out of nowhere. Just what was going on?

She was lying on a double bed in her usual clothes, though barefoot. There was no sign of her gear: no Headache, no tek-boots, no impulse harness … not even her control visor. Panic rushed through her. She felt her neck and soon found the thin metal braid of her necklace. She pulled it from beneath her shirt and stared at the pendant for a few moments before letting out a sigh of relief.

"Least I still got you, babe." She said, giving the pendant a small squeeze.

The images of her dream still lingered in her mind. It had been quite a fateful day for her, solidifying her friendship with Sans and Toriel, and setting the stage for them to take over as landlords so she could resume her own exploration of the universe. Glen was no stranger to vivid dreams; as a Dreamer, she had an innate connection to the Dream Realm. Still, there was something in the memories that seemed out of place … while the events played out as they had, Glen couldn't shake the strange sensation that there was something there that did not belong, something that seemed to be watching.

Glen shook her head. "Focus, Glen; let's get our bearings and make sure the others are okay."

She swung her legs over the side of her bed and let her bare feet touch the wooden floor of the room. The light switch didn't work, but Glen was able to induce her Anti-ka Maru into glowing brightly enough to make out the rest of the bedroom. There was no sign of her equipment, but it was the window that caught Glen's attention, as nothing could be seen through it. The darkness beyond the window was so complete, it might as well have been painted black.

Glen thumped the glass, not sure what to make of it. It was about that time her ears picked up the sound of irregular tapping, like that of a computer keyboard.

"Or a typewriter." Glen said, turning her attention back to the door.

She slowly opened it to find herself on the second floor landing of a cabin, another door directly across the landing from the bedroom. A glance down the stairwell showed that it led to a kitchen on the first floor.

Glen approached the door across from the bedroom, as the source of the tapping came from beyond it. Tentatively, she knocked on the door.

The tapping stopped for a moment, but only a moment. Frowning, Glen raised her hand again only for a wrinkled hand grabbed hers. She turned to see an old woman wearing a mourning veil staring at her, her hand still holding Glen's.

"No need to bother Mister Wake, dear." The old woman said, giving Glen a thin-lipped smile that made the Dreamer's blood run cold. "We have much to talk about."


	16. Chapter 15 - Dance of the Night

**Chapter 15**

 **Dance of the Night**

When faced with pure darkness, people can react in a variety of different ways. Some cower in fear, some plead for their lives, while others are simply paralyzed to the spot. Glen, on the other hand, went straight to punching the old woman in the face.

The woman flew across the landing, crashed into the bedroom door, and fell to the floor with her limbs resting at odd angles. Feeling a touch guilty (evil or not, she just punched an old woman), Glen took a step forward to make sure she was okay.

Black tendrils burst from the floor of the landing, the thick ink-like appendages coiling like massive tentacles before sweeping through the air and knocking Glen down the stairs. The Dreamer bounced off the stairs twice before crashing to the old tiles of the kitchen floor.

She was up in a second, rune flaring as she called Headache to her. Unfortunately, it didn't work.

"Crap." Glen said, realizing just how bad of a situation she was in.

The old woman was standing again, her dress and veil perfectly in place despite Glen's assault. Glen backed away as the old woman slowly walked down the stairs, more tendrils erupting from the stairs and handrails. They didn't break through the walls; it was more like they grew from them.

Glen glanced around the kitchen for something to use as a weapon. Kitchen utensils may not seem much of a weapon against a living embodiment of darkness, but Glen could easily alter the object, turning them into a more substantial weapon. Unfortunately, there were no visible kitchen utensils on the nearby counters … though the sink was half-full of dirty dishwater. Her hand dove into the murky water in the kitchen sink and fished around until her fingers felt something metal.

"Aha!" Glen pulled the object from the sink and held it in front of her, Anti-ka Maru glowing as she focused her power into making the tool larger.

The old woman raised an eyebrow at the giant fork now in Glen's hands. It wasn't completely without menace now that it was the size of a spear, but the graceful etching on the fork handle didn't help matters.

"You're wasting your time, dear." The old woman said, still approaching.

"Uh-huh." Glen swung the fork at one of the dark tentacles that waved just a bit too close for her comfort. The tentacle wrapped around the tines of the fork and tugged at it. It stopped tugging all too soon as Glen channeled her radiance through the improvised weapon, causing it to glow brightly. There was a slight hissing sound as the tentacle quickly slipped back, giving the old woman pause.

"All right." Glen said, holding the fork at the ready. Where am I?"

"You're in my home." The woman said, the slight smile on her lips more than just a bit unnerving. "Underneath Cauldron Lake."

"Beneath the lake." Glen said, feeling the blood drain from her face as she remembered the darkness hiding within the cabin. She was surrounded by ichor, more than even she felt comfortable trying to dispel.

"Your arrival was something of a surprise." The old woman continued as nonchalantly as she might speak of what she was preparing for supper. "But not unwelcome."

Glen let out a small laugh, mostly at the thought of trying to explain inter-dimensional travel to an embodiment of darkness. "Yeah, well … if you show me the way out, I'll be on my way."

"Oh, no … I insist. I could use the help of a creator such as yourself. A … builder."

Tendrils dove at Glen. She fended them off as well as she could, but she was so focused on those coming from around the old woman that she didn't realize more were forming along the counter. The tendrils wrapped around her arms, forcing her to drop the fork to the ground with a loud clatter.

She channeled her inner radiance, hoping that it would be enough to break the grasp. To her credit, it almost was; the smaller tendrils cracked away to ash as Glen's skin glowed brightly. The larger ones showed signs of large light-filled cracks running along them.

It wasn't enough. Glen realized that there was just too much of the ichor, or whatever force powered it. It might not be able to fully take her, but she didn't have the power to purge it … not alone, anyway.

"Now, now." The old woman said, walking up to Glen and smiling creepily at her. "We have much work to do."

"Flattered." Glen said, still struggling to channel more radiance despite the futility of her situation, "But I've already got stuff to do."

"And once you've assisted me, you will be free to return to your 'stuff'." The old woman paused. "But where are my manners? We have not yet been introduced. What is your name?"

Glen didn't respond. Giving dark powers personal information never worked out well, and Glen wasn't about to make its job easy for it.

Frowning slightly, the old woman took a few more steps toward Glen and slowly raised her hand to the side of Glen's face. Glen flinched at the cold touch of the woman's hands, but found herself unable to avoid the dark pits that were her eyes. She could feel the dark tendrils probing her mind until finding the information it wanted.

"Glenda Adams." The woman whispered. "But you prefer Glen …"

Her eyes widened. "What is … a Dreamer?"

Glen fought desperately to free herself, but the insidious threads seemed to slip through her mental defenses with little effort. When the old woman's eyes went wide, Glen realized with a sinking feeling in her stomach that she'd found what she'd sought.

"A creator with the power to alter reality … not just here, but anywhere. That is incredible, Miss Glen. Yes, you and I have much to talk about."

Glen let out a gasp as the woman pulled her hand back, retracting the dark tendrils from her mind. Bowing her head slightly, the old woman said, "But where are my manners? I know your name, so it is only fair you know mine. I am Barbara Jagger, wife of Thomas Zane."

"Zane?" Glen managed to say, struggling to recollect her thoughts.

"A great poet … and a great Creator." Miss Jagger's smile turned to a look of annoyance. "A great disappointment as well. Still, I am patient; with the aid of yourself and Mister Wake, we'll soon change the world."

"Oh, yeah." Glen said. "'Cause I totally am going to help you."

"You will, eventually," Miss Jagger said, a cold smile on her face. "Oh, don't look at me like that; my freedom, after all, is your freedom. Once I get what I want, you can go back to your friends."

"My friends?" Glen said.

Miss Jagger pointed behind Glen. The tendrils holding the Dreamer turned her to face the window behind the sink, where all was dark … for a few moments. The darkness soon dissipated to show UNDR-Papyrus, Claudia, and Jinks lying on the moonlit grass on the shore of Cauldron lake. Claudia was the first to come to, looking a bit dazed, but no worse for wear.

"Ugh … what the hell?" She said, sitting up. She looked at Jinks with concern for a moment before punching his shoulder.

"Ow." Jinks said, clutching his shoulder.

"Good, you're awake." Claudia turned to UNDR-Papyrus. "How about you, Skele-dude?"

"Never better." UNDR-Papyrus said, eye-sockets drooping as he rose shakily to his feet. "I often enjoy waking up face-down in wild plant life."

"Good." Claudia looked around, her smile fading as she no doubt noticed that they were missing someone. "Glen?"

"Claudia?" Glen said before it occurred to her that Claudia had no way of hearing her. Sure enough, Claudia didn't respond, at least not to Glen.

"A living skeleton." Miss Jagger said, shaking her head. "Either there have been some interesting developments on the surface, or you are much further from home than I initially suspected."

Glen didn't respond; Claudia and Jinks were Warehouse agents and Papyrus was … helpful. If she stalled long enough, they'd think of something; Glen had to fight as much as she could. If she couldn't free herself, she needed to stall the ichor and its spokeswoman as much as possible.

"Nothing to say?" Miss Jagger said, raising an eyebrow at Glen. "Very well."

The tendrils released Glen, dropping her to the ground. Glen pushed herself up from the ground in time to see Barbara Jagger walking up the stairs.

"I will give you some time to consider your position. Know this, however; you will help me succeed, one way or the other. The continued safety of your friends and how much of yourself remains depends on you."

With that, Miss Jagger opened the door to Alan Wake's room and walked inside, closing the door behind her.

"Damn." Glen said, punching the floor in frustration. She didn't want to admit it, but the power of the ichor in such a concentrated form was too much for her alone. Maybe if she had some lumite, she could use the mineral to amplify her radiance, but her supply was in Headache, which somehow ended up on the surface. She couldn't understand how that happened, when every other reality shift saw her gear shifting along with her.

A clicking sound roused Glen from her thoughts. She looked around for the source before spotting it; in the space between the fridge and the counter, a single red eye glowed.

"Bubba!" Glen said before clamping her hands around her mouth. She looked up at the second floor, but the door to Alan Wake's room remained closed.

Sighing with relief, Glen hurried over to Bubba. The little skriever slowly approached, apparently realizing that silence was needed.

"Bubba, how did you get here?"

The skriever raised up on its hind legs, revealing the small lumite medallion on his underside.

"Clever little guy!" Glen said with a grin, "Look, do you think you can get back to the surface?" Hearing another affirmative chirp, Glen said, "Okay; I need you to let the others know I'm down here. I'm guessing you caught all of my little talk with Barbara Jagger?" Another affirmative chirp. "Good. All right; go show the others so they know how much crap I've landed in. Hopefully Claudia can whip up something to get me outta here."

Snapping her fingers, Glen said, "Find Headache; I've got some lumite in there. If you can't find that, you might have to scan around; with this much ichor, there's got to be some nearby, or everyone'd be infected."

Bubba let out another chirp and tilted his camera slightly before chirping again, this time in a vaguely questioning way.

"I can't get out on my own, but maybe that's for the best. If Jagger can get into my mind, maybe I can do a little reconnaissance of my own and figure out just what the ichor is. Don't bother waiting for me, though; the sooner you get me out of here, the better. Okay? Now you'd better hurry before Jagger returns."

With a final chirp, Bubba skittered back into the crack between the refrigerator and the counter. Glen turned back to the stairwell, cracking her knuckles and saying, "Okay, let's make the most of what time I've got."


	17. Chapter 16 - Singular Sansation

**Chapter 16**

 **Singular Sansation**

Sans didn't stop when he heard the alarm, a loud claxon that echoed off the austere walls of the facility. He needed to find Fuku and Artie, a task that was significantly harder seeing as every hallway looked the same. He occasionally came across a door with an alphanumeric designation: SCP-3105-034, SCP-3105-493, SCP 3356. He didn't understand the meaning, or why those doors without the 3105 prefix looked much more secure, but given that the researcher referred to him as an escaped SCP, he could cater a guess that his current location was some sort of storage for anomalous things, like Warehouse 13, but for people as well.

It certainly didn't feel much like the warehouse, however. The Warehouse had a strange air that was comforting, like that in the home of an old friend. More than once, Sans thought he'd caught the scent of apples during his brief stay. None of that was in the cold halls of the SCP facility, however; the facility bore the austerity of a scientific facility, which brought to mind old memories Sans didn't particularly want to recollect.

Unfortunately, Sans's search ended abruptly as he found his progress blocked by a heavy bulkhead door. Sans turned to double back, but barely made it three steps before the first of the soldiers ran into his long of sight.

"Hey." Sans said, raising his hands as more soldiers joined the first, their rifles aimed at his skull. "I was lookin' for the bathroom."

"Don't move." The lead soldier raised a radio to his mask-covered face. "We've surrounded SCP-3177 at Junction X-37."

"Understood. Proceed with caution." Came the reply.

Several of the soldiers slowly approached, one pulling a set of handcuffs made of some grey-greenish metal with a slight bluish tinge.

Sans could've wiped the floor with them. His telekinesis, his Gaster Blaster, and his skill at dodging would make it easy for him to escape without breaking a sweat ... but to where? He still didn't know where he was, or where Fuku or Artie might be. Perhaps if he went along with the situation, he'd have a chance to explain his situation to someone with a sympathetic ear. If it didn't work out, he could always hop through a shortcut.

"All right." Sans said, holding out his hands, "Ya got me, fair and square."

They didn't respond, though Sans thought he saw something between doubt and a slight measure of relief in the eyes of the soldier who eventually put the strange cuffs on Sans.

"Thanks." The soldier mumbled, much to Sans's surprise.

"Eh, I know when I'm beat." Sans said with a shrug. Raising his hands, he said, "Take me to your leader."

The soldiers escorted him through the hallways. While still giving him some berth, the soldiers seemed to be less afraid of him now that he wore the cuffs. Sans wasn't sure of the implication of that, but less-worred soldiers are soldiers less likely to start firing, so he didn't complain. He tried a few times to strike up a conversation, making jokes to break the ice and hopefully glean a little about his location, but none of the soldiers responded ... though Sans thought he saw the soldier who cuffed him crack a small grin at one point.

The soldiers eventually brought Sans to a small windowed room with a single table with two chairs, one facing the door and the other facing away from it. A nervous-looking young man in a lab coat stood by the table, his eyes shifting from the guard to Sans.

"Mind if I take a seat?" Sans asked.

"W-what? Oh! Er, g-go ahead."

Sans sat down in the chair facing the door and leaned back, resting his feet on the table and cradling his head in his cuffed hands. All but one soldier left the room, though Sans was fairly sure at least two more were waiting just outside should Sans try anything. The lab assistant flipped through a folder full of documents as though searching for something, but it was clear he was just trying to look busy so he wouldn't have to look at Sans.

"So," Sans said, "What's your name, kid?"

The man nearly dropped the folder. "What? Oh, m-me? I'm Researcher Gerald Neric."

"Nice ta meetcha." Sans said. "What've you got there?"

"Your file. Doctor Eddons requested I bring it here. She'll be here in a few moments."

"My file, huh? Anything interesting in there?"

The outer door opened before Researcher Neric could reply. A tall thin woman with a pinched face walked into the room, barely giving Neric the barest of nods before taking the remaining seat across from Sans. Once seated, she flipped open her folder and clicked the top of her ballpoint pen.

"Heya, Doc." Sans said, hoping to break the sudden chill in the atmosphere of the room.

Her gray eyes flashed in his direction, her pursed lips twitching in a very slight look of contempt. "SCP-3177. I see you made another escape attempt."

"Yeah, you know me." Sans said with a carefree shrug. "I like to stay busy."

"Hmm." The scratch of her pen across the page of her notebook was strangely loud in the small room. "You were discovered at junction X-37. Were you attempting to reach the surface?"

"Actually, I'm looking for my friends. One's a woman of blue frame and the other's a big rabbit fella, probably hanging out with a skeleton who looks like me, but flashing black and white and covered with these weird graphical glitches."

She stared at him for a moment before motioning to the guard.

"Radio Captain Dontrel and have him run a sweep of the facility; there may be other monsters out of containment."

"Understood." The guard made the call before resuming his position beside the door.

Meanwhile, the Doctor resuming writing. The sound of her pen scratching was starting to bother Sans. "And how did you escape your containment this time?"

"Door was open." Sans said with a shrug. "That's just careless."

"The door is a computer controlled lock that sets off an alarm as long as it is open." She replied, not looking up. "There is no record of it being opened since your previous escape eight months ago. How did you escape?"

After a few minutes of silence, Sans sighed and set his feet on the ground. "Look ... Eddons, right?"

"Doctor Eddons."

"Right. Doc, I'm gonna be brutally honest here: I'm from another dimension, and I've lost my friends. I honestly don't know where I am right now, or where my friends are, and I'm hoping you'll be willing to help me out. "

Somehow, the absence of the scratch of Doctor Eddon's pen seemed louder than its presence. Eddons looked directly at him, one gray eyebrow raising.

"I know, it sounds crazy." Sans chuckled and said, "And it is crazy. But it's true."

After a few moments, she set her pen down on the table and rubbed her eyes. "Do you think we're idiots, 3177?"

"You're the one calling me a number, Doc. Digit occur to you that's a little weird?"

The nervous man letslip a chuckle, but quickly caught himself at a glare from Doctor Eddons.

"Perhaps you are unaware of your situation." She said. "Given your violent nature and the number of deaths you've caused on your previous escapes, the Overseer Council has been considering simply killing you and being done with it. Rumor has it Doctor Bright wants to try throwing you at 682 to see what happens. The only reason that hasn't happened is because your new containment cell was thought to be perfect. I don't know how you escaped, or why you're trying to confuse us with this nonsense about alternate dimension ..."

"Actually, Doctor," Neric said, "Site 19 has several SCPs that have proven-"

"I'm not talking about Site 19!" Doctor Eddons snapped. "I'm talking about Site 37, this monster-infested gutter of a cave! It's bad enough we've contained less than half of this place without the half we have contained constantly draining what little manpower we have!"

Sans didn't say a word, though having a name for his location felt like a small victory, as was the implication that they were in the Underground ... somewhere. Doctor Eddons talked about him causing deaths. The knowledge that his alternate self was more violent didn't sit well with him.

Doctor Eddons shook her head and said, "Take him back to his containment cell and make sure it's under twenty-four hour watch. As for you, 3177, I warn you; one more escape, and I will recommend termination."

Researcher Neric and the guard approached Sans from either side, both looking a bit nervous. Sans simply shrugged and followed them out of the room. As they passed the two guards waiting outside (nailed it, Sans thought to himself with a grin), Sans said, "Bit of a stick in the mud, isn't she."

"A bit, yeah." Neric said with a grimace. The two guards followed as well, their weapons trained on Sans.

They led him through the halls to a very well fortified door with the label, "SCP-3177". There was even a little picture of Sans by the door, though it wasn't very flattering, Sans thought.

Another Doctor stood by the door, this one a younger woman wearing thick glasses. The moment she saw Neric, she started talking.

"Researcher Neric, I'm so sorry, I didn't realize-"

"It's okay, Mel. No one's blaming you. Is the chamber ready?"

"C-chamber? Oh, right, of course. I'll go open it."

Sans couldn't help but notice that Neric's eyes followed Mel as she hurried away, still apparently quite flustered. He raised an eyeridge at Neric as the Researcher turned back to him, only for Neric to blush.

Motioning to a large doorway that led to some sort of inner chamber, Neric said, "Might as well get in there; it'll take a minute for it to open."

"Sure thing." Sans said. He stepped through the doorway, still flanked by two guards. The room beyond was perfectly round and quite large; in the very center was a square container made of the same green-gray metal as the handcuffs, altogether as big as a trailer or a box truck.

It was then Sans made a worrysome realization. He tried to levitate one the radio from one of the guard's belt, but his telekinesis couldn't get a grasp on it.

"Stupid." He murmured, drawing a worried look from one of the guards. If 3177 was the Sans from that Universe, of course they'd have taken precautions to stop him from escaping or using his powers. The container was essentially a massive null, preventing the use of magic. Even a shortcut wouldn't get him out of there.

His worry faded almost immediately as another question rose in his mind. They mistook him for 3177 ... so where was the real 3177? Had he escaped, Sans's arrival being an extreme act of coincidence, or ...

Sans looked at the trailer as the locks on one side slowly released. There were no windows; the entire thing was solid metal. Surely they had cameras inside it ... but then again, even if they did, the first thing Sans would do if stuck in a similar situation would be to compromise them. Heat sensors? He was a skeleton; he didn't put off any heat. Some kind of pressure sensitivity? He could levitate within the box if he didn't want to be discovered.

A sudden cry of ,"Stop! Don't open the Null box!" from Neric confirmed his suspicions, but it was already too late. The last lock was unsealed, and the door slid open to reveal ... Sans.

They were almost identical in appearance, the only difference from Sans's perspective being that the blue coat and black shorts on 3177 had a few tears and appeared more worn than Sans's attire. There was something else, however, something that made the guards and even Sans step back;

The look of surprise (clearly a mirror to the one on Sans's face) lasted for only a moment before becoming a smile as 3177's left eye glowed a bright blue.

"Thanks for that." 3177 said, stepping out of the box and raising his own unshackled hands.

The guard turned his rifle on 3177, only to be thrown across the room to land on his head with a sickening crunch. While the sudden violence was jarring, Sans had enough presence of mind to hurry over to the guard who cuffed him and dig through his pockets for the key.

The other guards paid Sans no mind, focusing instead on 3177. They opened fire, but 3177 was far to fast. The first guard fell to the ground, a glowing bone sticking through his chest. The second guard backed away, reaching for something vaguely grenade like at his belt, only to find 3177's hand already there.

"Let me get that for you, bud." 3177 said before pulling the pin and slipping it beneath the soldier's body armor before sending the poor fellow flying into 3177's former prison. The explosion made Sans wince just as his fingerbones found the key. He managed to free one hand before spotting Neric through the observation window on the inner chamber wall. The Researcher was reaching for something that was clearly an alarm

Sans waved his free hand at Neric, his bone slamming into the alarm and shattering the plastic casing into pieces mere seconds before 3177 appeared in the office and grabbed Neric's hand. Sans hurried over to the window, still struggling with his other handcuff.

"You ... you weren't lying." Neric said as Sans hurried into the office. "You're really from another reality!"

"Believe me, it's just as confusing to me." Sans glanced at 3177. "Let him go, man; he's harmless."

"He'll sound the alarm." 3177 said grimly. "If we just let him go, it's only a matter of time."

"Only a matter of time anyway." Sans said. "I mean, I'm guessing someone checks on these cells other than the Researchers. Right?"

He was speaking to the woman with the glasses that Neric referred to as 'Mel', but she was frozen with a look of terror on her face.

Sighing, Sans said, "C'mon, you know it's wrong. You can feel it in your bones, right?"

3177 cracked a small smile. "You sayin' I don't have the spine for it."

"Clearly you do." Sans said, glancing back at the remains of the guards. "But there's a line. They're researchers, not commandos."

"Yeah? And do you know what these 'researchers' have been doing to our kind ever since they ..." 3177 was cut off by the sound of an alarm.

"I don't have time for this." 3177 said, shoving Neric toward Mel. "I'm leaving. If you want answers, you'll follow."

With that, 3177 headed for the door. Sans looked at the terrified researchers for a moment before shrugging. "We all have bad days, yeah?"


	18. Chapter 17 - 47 Seconds

**Chapter 17**

 **47 Seconds**

"Fuku ... Fuku, can you hear me?"

Fuku mumbled something incomprehensible, her mind still thick with the fog of dreams.

"Are you okay, Fuku? Are you hurt?" Said a warm, familiar voice. It was her boyfriend Sans. She smiled and slowly opened her eyes.

"Ah, good, you're up." Error said, a wicked twist to the grin plastered across his skull. He floated in the air in front of her, his appearance as jarring as ever, though Fuku noticed that the ropes were still spreading over his ribs. Blue threads could be seen weaving around the rope, slowing its progress, though it was clear Error's right arm wasn't going to be moving anytime soon.

Fuku's eyes went wide. She tried to rise, only to realize she was already vertical. Blue threads bound her hands and legs and held her immobile. She looked around in panic only to see ... nothing but white. It surrounded her in all directions with no visible sign of ending.

She didn find something, however; Artie, the poor bunny man strung up and floating in the air beside her, a worried look on his face.

"Well, now that you're awake ... be quiet."

Fuku opened her mouth, ready to fire a choice insult at Error, only for several thick threads to wrap around her head and open mouth, reducing her to unintelligible mumbles.

Nodding in satisfaction, Error stepped back from his prisoners and produced the crystal with the imprint.

"Shoulda know this hunk of ice would be a problem." Sans said, tossing it in the air and catching it with his one free hand. "I still remember how excited Gaster was when we found it, back when it was more than just an imprint."

Error glanced at Fuku. "But you don't know about Gaster, do you?"

Fuku couldn't respond, not even to shake her head. It didn't matter; Error's focus was on the crystal again.

"No one does, no one 'cept me and my fellow abominations. Poor Ol' Gaster. He used to be the Royal Scientist, you know, before Alphys his place."

Error chuckled and shook his head. "I bet the old man would go nuts to find out that gibbering anime-loving freak has taken over his lab. Oh well, he's hardly in a position to complain, seeing as he fell into the lava surrounding the Core."

Error's smile faded slightly. "An accident. An unfortunate accident caused by the original crystal. When we found how much power the thing could produce, we thought we'd found our freedom."

Error's gaze turned back to Fuku. Chuckling, he said, "Sorry 'bout that. Bein' in the void gets you monologuing like there's no tomorrow. Oh, where are my manners?"

Error snapped his fingers. the threads holding Fuku and Artie fell away, dropping both of them on the floor. Artie let out a groan as he slowly rose to his feet.

"Why have you brought us here?" Artie asked.

"Me?" Error said, sounding legitimately surprised. "I didn't bring you here. I'm not exactly the visitor type, if you know what I'm sayin'. You can understand why this makes me curious."

Fuku shook her head. "I don't follow."

"Then I'll be blunt." Any trace of a smile faded from Error's face. "I've jumped dimensions enough to know the sensation, and it don't take a genius to figure out this rock had something to do with this. Now I was holding your fat rabbit friend when the rock went psycho, so I get why he's here ... and just before the switch, I felt someone grab the back of my coat. From the scorch marks ... thanks, by the way, it's not like I can send my clothes to a tailor ... I'm guessin' that's why you came here too."

Error waved his hand at the void. Instantly, the whiteness twisted and swirled like a whirlpool until the very air seemed to tear apart, revealing a curious image; Sans, Fuku's Sans, was running through a white hallway behind what appeared to be another Sans, this one in torn and more worn clothing. Several human soldiers in black gear appeared in their path, only for the new Sans to fire a blast from his Gaster Blaster, incinerating two of the soldiers and sending the rest scurrying for cover.

"Now, I recognize 3177 there ... abomination one forty-six, I like to call him. Mean piece of work, though I can't say I blame him. I also recognize your boyfriend there. Now this lovely Void you see around you, it's not exactly another dimension; it kinda attaches to realities at my whim, like a small bubble attached to a bigger bubble. Site 37 is part of the reality we're currently 'stuck' to, which leads me to my question: how did he follow us? I know me, I know how fast I am, and I know there was no way he could reach me, even with a shortcut, before the rock sent us here."

Error turned to Fuku and crossed his arms. "So how is it that he's here too?"

Fuku opened her mouth to say she didn't know, only to realize that she in fact did. Glen told them she'd bound them together: Fuku, Glen, Error, and UNDR-Papyrus. She wanted to make sure they stayed together, in addition to binding Error to their reality ... only now, it looked like it simply bound them in such a way that if one traveled between realities, they all made the trip. Fuku could almost see Glen's sheepish expression as the human said, "Oops."

"I'm gonna be patient about this." Error said, threads weaving around his hand and inching toward. "But not for long."

"I'd be more worried about the rope, if I was you." Artie said, a slight smirk on his face.

Error's gaze slid to the bunny-man. He slowly floated toward Artie, a very unpleasant look on his skull.

"You got something to say, bun-bun?"

"It's already covered, what, half of your body? It's not gonna stop you know, not until it has you completely immobile."

Error looked to his bound arm. He moved it slightly, though it was clear it took a lot of effort.

"You know how to get it off?"

Artie shrugged, attempting to look humble. "Well, yes. It's easy, actually ... we'll need to return to the Warehouse, though, and grab a few things."

"Uh-huh." Error floated right up to Artie's face, causing the bunny-man to recoil slightly. "You think I'm an idiot, hoppy?"

"Not an idiot, no." Artie pulled something from his pocket that looked like a watch. As it flipped open, however, Fuku recognized it as a compass, the kind used on ships.

Error reached to grab the compass, but Artie was a moment quicker pressing the button on the base of the compass.

"Hey!"

Fuku jumped; Artie seemed to have appeared right in front of her, his hand holding hers to the barometer. She glanced back at Error, only to find him frozen in place, still staring at the space where Artie had stood only a moment ago. "How ...'

"Barometer of the U. S. S. Eldritch." He said. "C'mon; we only have … twenty-seven seconds before time goes back to normal. Fortunately, our friend was kind enough to open the door for us."

3177 blasted the heavy bulkhead from its hinges, knocking the heavy metal back into the guards waiting beyond and crushing them under the slab of wrecked metal. The sight echo flowers and glowing mushrooms distracted Sans from the pool of blood rapidly spreading from beneath the pile of scrap that was once a door. The sight of the Underground he was somewhat familiar with did much to ease his concerns, but nowhere near as much as Fuku did when he found himself hugging the flame woman's warm body.

"What the ... where'd you come from?" He asked.

She let out a nervous laugh. "Underfell, remember?"

Sans caught sight of 3177 raising his hand and quickly said, "Relax, buddy; she's my girlfriend."

"Uh-huh." 3177, looking at them suspiciously. "And the tubby rabbit's your uncle, right?"

"Okay, I get it! I'm a little overweight." Artie said, rolling his eyes as he slid something in his pocket. "I'll go on a diet once we get back to the Warehouse."

"He's a friend too." Sans said, slipping his hand into Fuku's. "Not sure how they got here, but I'm not complainin'"

3177 seemed uncertain for a few moments before he shook his head and said, "Fine. They're clearly not human, so I guess it doesn't matter. We need to keep moving."

"He's right." Sans told his friends. "We'll talk once we're safe."

As if to punctuate his statement, another group of soldiers appeared from within the facility, these wearing heavy combat armor with metal plating similar to that of the containment chamber previously imprisoning and carrying much fancier-looking guns.

"Crap." 3177 said, "Null squad. That armor dispels magic; even the Gaster Blaster-"

"Artie, the compass!' Fuku said.

"Needs time to recharge." He said, though he was digging through his pockets for something else.

It looked like a tough spot to Sans; 3177 was summoning bones, and even Fuku seemed to be preparing herself to fight. Worried for her and Artie, and even more for the strangely callous 3177, Sans quickly thought of a better solution, one he found he was a bit surprised 3177 hadn't thought of first.

"Relax." Sans said, putting his hand on Fuku's shoulder. "I'll close the door on those goons."

Sans gestured toward the soldiers ... or more specifically the bulkhead door. The soldiers rushed to the exit, but Sans managed to slam the remains of the door back into place. Granted, it was a wreck, and would never open properly again without some serious work, but it would definitely keep the soldiers occupied.

"That'll work." Artie said, looking a little shocked as he nodded appreciatively at Sans.

3177 nodded as well, though Sans couldn't help but detect a note of disappointment on his other self's face as he started walking briskly away from the facility and into the caverns of Waterfall.

The group hurried through the caverns of Waterfall. Sans caught sight of quite a few cameras, most noticeably different from those Alphys used back in his reality, but not all. The somber air that normally permeated the chambers of water and stone felt unnaturally tense now, and Sans soon found himself on edge.

He could tell Fuku felt the difference as well; the flames of her fingers flickered with unusual intensity, a sure sign she was nervous. Artie seemed nervous, though there was a resolute look on the bunny-man's face. Given the nature of the Warehouse, Sans was certain that Artie had found himself in his share of bad situations. He also looked winded, and was clearly struggling to keep up with the group.

When they reached the expanse overlooking Home, Artie stumbled and nearly fell before Sans caught him.

"Easy there." Sans glanced at 3177. "Hey, other me, we need to stop for a minute."

"There's no time." 3177 said. "We're still in neutral area."

"Neutral area?" Fuku asked. "Neutral from what?"

"From the fight between the Underground and the SCP Foundation." 3177 looked over Artie, who looked close to passing out, and let out a sigh. "Fine. Five minutes."

"Thank you." Artie breathed, sinking down to a convenient rock. It was a large rock, so Fuku and Sans sat down beside him.

"Not used to this much running." Artie said. "Even the zip-line's better than this."

Chuckling appreciatively, Sans said, "Not much for jogging myself. I'm more of a nap kinda guy. A shame you don't have some kind of anomalous skates or skateboard in your warehouse."

"Tony Hawk's skateboard accelerates as long as you're riding it and pushes the user to try increasingly dangerous tricks." Artie chuckled, his floppy ears shaking along with his head. "Besides, can you really see me on a skateboard?"

They stared at the distant facility; there was no sign of Dreemurr Palace, just the white windowless walls stretching from the cavern floor to the ceiling.

After about a minute, 3177 sat down beside Artie and stared down at his worn slippers.

"It's strange." He said, his voice quiet. "We wanted to go to the surface so much. It never really occurred to anyone that we might be better off down here."

Trading glances with Fuku, Sans asked, "What happened here, anyway?"

"First things first." 3177 said. "Where are you from? I can feel the same power in you, so I know you're not some kind of cheap copy."

"Yeah, I'm you, just from another dimension. Alternate possibilities and all." Sans said. "In my reality, the monsters were wiped out by a human named Frisk possessed by this black gunk. Fuku here's from a reality where King Asgore was a tyrant, and our brother's a massive jerk."

3177's face twitched silently at the mention of Papyrus, but he said nothing. Sans continued, "Artie here's from a different reality too. I'd go into detail, but I'm guessing it's all top secret, unless there's a Warehouse here too."

"Warehouse … of course!" Artie fished around in the pockets of his coat before pulling out his farnsworth.

"Wait." Fuku said, putting her hand over the device. "We're in another reality. Even if the Warehouse exists, there's a chance they won't even know who you are."

"I'm not trying to contact the Warehouse." Artie said as he twisted a knob on the device. "If I'm right …"

The screen of the farnsworth lit up, revealing the face of Claudia Donovan.

"Artie!" She said, clearly surprised to see him. "Artie, you're not gonna believe this, but we're in like some kind of alternate …'

"Reality." Artie finished. "Yes, I know. Are Jinks and Glen with you?"

"Well … kinda." Claudia said. "Glen's a little … stuck at the moment."

"I'm here too!" Said a familiar voice. Sans was only a little surprised when Papyrus's skull appeared on screen. "Hi, Sans!"

"Hey, Paps." Sans said, only to be pushed aside as 3177 moved to look at the screen.

"Oh!" Papyrus said. "Hello other Sans! You look tired. Are you getting enough rest?"

3177 seemed speechless for a few moments before catching himself. "Are … are you okay?"

"Oh, we're doing fine. We're a bit … stranded at the moment, but a brisk walk is good for the constitution."

"Where are you, Artie?" Claudia asked. "And how …"

"I'm where the Warehouse was in our Universe. Unfortunately, the SCP seems to have taken root down here."

"The Foundation? They have control of the Warehouse?"

"Not exactly. Where is Glen?"

"She's uh … under a lake. We're working on it, but our gear is still in our car … y'know, back in the other reality."

"I'm sure you'll think of something. Just … be careful, okay?"

"You too, Gramps."

Artie grimaced as the communication cut off. "I'm not her grandpa. She just, with the nicknames … ugh, never mind."

3177 shook his head and said, "Five minutes are up. Just a bit further, and you'll hear everything from the Queen herself."

"Toriel?" Sans and Fuku said even as Artie said, "Missus Dreemurr?"

3177 was already moving, however. With a final glance at the facility now in place of the once fantastic view of Dreemurr Palace, Sans, Fuku, and Artie followed.


	19. Chapter 18 - Relative Safety

**Chapter 18**

 **Relative Safety**

3177 took the long way through Waterfall, at least to Sans's mind. As though anticipating the question, 3177 explained that many of the normal paths had been compromised, either by the SCP Foundation or the monsters themselves. Most direct paths were now highly dangerous, if not fatal, to both human and monster. Fuku was curious, but 3177 didn't respond to her questions, other than to urge them to move faster.

The sight of the gentle snowbanks and quaint homes of Snowdin came as a great relief to the group, particularly Artie, who seemed about ready to pass out from the exertion. Fuku and Sans helped the bunny-man along until they reached the sentry station right near the Waterfall cavern entrance.

They were only feet from the entrance when a massive metal door slammed across the entryway, sealing them inside Waterfall. Bright spotlights activated around them, making it hard to see much of anything, though Sans thought he heard the sound of footsteps approaching from behind them.

"And what have we here?" Said a familiar voice. "Four intruders trying to infiltrate Snowdin?"

3177 raised a hand to block out the bright light. "That you, Undyne?"

"I'm asking the questions here!" She barked, though Sans was certain 3177 was correct. "Now, who are you?"

"It's me, Sans, fish-flake." 3177 said, not bothering to hide his exasperation. "Don't tell me you forgot me already."

"Forgot Sans? Ha! Of course not! I remember when that sack of lazy bones was captured and dragged away by the humans. I definitely remember there being only one of him, not two. I've gotta say, this is the sorriest attempt I've seen you SCP bastards make to try and take the rest of us. Even I can tell one of the Sanses is a fake, just lookin' at him."

"Yeah, about that." Sans said, barely able to make out Undyne's outline past the bright lights, along with the outlines of many others, no doubt armed.

"Stuff it, faker!" Undyne said. "You can explain it from a cell."

"Another cell, huh?" 3177 said, "I think I'll pass."

Several of the lights went out following the tell-tale sound of whirring bones and shattering glass. Sans could now see Undyne standing at the other side of the entrance cavern, blocking their potential retreat with Lesser Dog, Greater Dog, Dogamy and Dogessa. Sans

"Oh, you wanna fight?" Undyne said, her blue spear appearing in her hands as 3177 approached, tossing a bone in the air and catching it again repeatedly.

They glared at each other for a long tense moment before both letting out a laugh and hugged each other.

"It's good to see you again, bone-head!" Undyne said with a sharp-toothed grin.

"You too, Royal Carptain." 3177 turned to the others and said, "They helped me escape. SCP bastards thought he was me, and let me out while trying to put him in my cell. I'm guessing Al had a hand in that?"

"Yeah." Undyne said. "Saw them arrive, and made extra sure they'd think you'd gotten out." To Sans, Fuku, and Artie, she said, "You guys are really from another reality, huh? Crazy stuff. Still, Crazy's been the norm around here since the barrier went down. Alphys wants a word with you, after you speak with the Queen."

To the dog knights, Undyne said, "All right, back to your posts; I've got the feelin' Sans's little escape might prompt some kinda retaliation, and I wanna make sure we send those Foundation freaks runnin' with their tails between their legs.

"Humans have tails?" Dogamy asked. The other dogs looked to Undyne curiously.

Undyne grimaced and added, "No, they just … we're gonna kick their asses, okay? Everyone's got one of those."

This seemed to satistfy the dog Knights, as they saluted Undyne and hurried away to their posts.

Shaking her head, Undyne said, "C'mon; I'll bring ya to the queen."

"You go on ahead." 3177 said, hands in his pockets. "I've got a few things I need to take care of. Say hi to Tori for me, yeah?"

Undyne sighed as Sans walked toward Snowdin. Shaking her head, she turned to the others and said, "Well, come on! Get movin' already! Queen's been waiting for you."

The sight of Snowdin was like a breath of fresh air. There were differences in the realities, sure, but Snowdin was home, and just being there made Sans feel comfortable. His and Papyrus's house was right where it always was, the same Christmas wreath on the door, and past it was the 'Librarby'. Sans couldn't help but chuckle; he'd yet to see the reality where they spelled the sign right.

Even more welcoming was the sight and smell of Grillby's. Sans's gaze wandered to the glowing windows only for Undyne to say, "You can get a snack later, Sans."

Undyne led them through the town until they reached the Snowed-In hotel. The hotel looked the same as ever, though now had several guards posted around the perimeter. A large bear and a cat woman guarded the main entrance.

"As you were." Undyne said as the guards moved to block the door. "Queen's asked for this lot specifically. They helped break out Sans."

"But isn't dat Sans right dere?" The bear guard said, pointing at Sans.

"Nah, Sans doesn't have that." Said the cat guard, grinning as she pointed a clawed finger at Sans's skull.

"Doesn't have what?" Sans asked, feeling the sides of his skull before turning to Fuku. "How does everyone know I'm a different Sans?"

To his surprise, the flames of Fuku's cheeks suddenly burned red. She looked away from him toward the entrance. "Um … we should hurry."

"Fuku," He said, but she was already walking through the doorway. He turned to Artie, who simply shrugged and said, "Don't look at me. I'm just along for the ride."

Shaking his head, Sans followed Fuku into the Snowed-In hotel. The inside of the hotel was just as warm and inviting as ever, though considerably more crowded. There were quite a number of monster children running about, though scarce few adults as far as Sans could see.

A small bunny child sat at the front desk, scribbling on notebook paper with a blue crayon. Sans approached and glanced at the paper. The image depicted a goat woman wearing purple robes and glasses surrounded by a crowd of smaller figures. All figures bore a comically large smile.

"Hey, nice work." Sans said. "It's the Queen, right?"

"Uh-huh." The bunny kid said, not lifting her eyes from the paper.

"Is she in?" Fuku asked.

Without moving her gaze an inch, the little bunny girl shouted, "Mom!" loud enough to make Sans wince.

"Thanks for that." Sans said, rubbing the side of his skull.

There was some shuffling from the room behind the main desk. After a few moments, the curtain over the door parted to reveal Queen Toriel.

"Please don't shout like that, Amber." Toriel said, placing her hands on little Amber's shoulders. "Oh, my, that's an excellent drawing. Let me know when you're finished; I know just where to hang it."

"Visitors, Mom."

"Oh? Welc-" Toriel looked up and immediately froze at the sight of Sans.

"Uh, hi." Sans said, giving her a little wave.

"Sans!" She said, a smile spreading across her face. "Oh, Sans! It's so good to see you!"

She hurried around the counter and gave him a hug. "Alphys told us you'd escaped, but I couldn't help but be worried." She pushed him back and gave him a good look over. "You look thinner."

"You tryin' to say I need some meat on my bones?" Sans said.

Toriel let out a laugh that made it clear there had been precious little to laugh about. "Well, before you go raiding Grillby's, I have to ask; while you were captured, did you happen to hear anything about my husband?"

"He's alive."

Attention in the room riveted to 3177 as he walked into the Inn. He ruffled the hair of a few kids as he approached the front desk. "Don't suppose I get a hug too?"

"Oh!" Toriel said, glancing between them for a moment before hurrying over to 3177 and hugging him as well. Looking at Sans, she asked, "Who-"

"Also Sans." Sans said. "From another reality. This is my girlfriend, Fuku, and our friend, Artie."

"Nice to meet you, Missus Dreemurr." Artie said, bowing his head respectfully.

"Oh, no need for all that." She said kindly. "Just call me Tori."

"I'll try." He said as Toriel motioned for them to follow her.

She led them to a large dining room in the back of the inn. There were more children there, but Toriel quickly scooted them out the door. She needn't have bothered; Sans could count no less than three children hidden in the room who would no doubt make sure anything secret spoken didn't remain so for long.

"I apologize for the mess." She said, picking up crayons and stacks of paper from the table. "The little dears can be a little disorganized. I do what I can, but with their parents gone …"

Sighing, she sat down and said, "I'm sorry. I should start at the beginning. You come from different Undergrounds; could you tell me the history of your Underground?"

"Similar beginnings, in each of our cases." Sans said, nodding at Fuku and Artie. "The monsters were trapped in the Underground by humans a long time ago, sealed here by a magical barrier. Asgore was King, but his insistence on killing human children drove you to leave him and live in the Ruins of Old Home."

Nodding at Fuku, Sans said, "In Fuku's reality, Asgore became a tyrant, and killed a great many monsters as well as the humans. He stole their magic and gold and used it to make weapons with which he hoped to wage war on the surface. In Artie's reality, an eighth child named Frisk appeared, who ultimately helped bring down the barrier and freed the monsters, who then integrated with the surface. I'm guessing that didn't happen here."

"Not exactly, no." Toriel rubbed her forehead for a moment and said, "Frisk fell down here and helped us escape, that much is the same. After living here as my child for a time, she harnessed the power of the six human souls my husband collected and used them to break through the barrier. At first, it seemed like everything we dreamed of: the surface in all its glory, the warmth of sunlight, the fresh air … a new world for our people to explore."

"The trouble started when we approached the inhabitants of the town of Ebott. The reaction was … mixed. Some of the townsfolk were frightened, yes, but I'd like to think we eased their fears soon enough. We are a gentle people for the most part, and we were eager to integrate with humanity in peace."

"That was when the SCP Foundation showed up. It was just a few agents at first, asking questions and speaking with human and monster alike. All too soon, humans friendly to our presence began to disappear, those remaining warning us to leave. Some of us heeded that warning, but others …" She let out a frustrated sigh. "We were finally free! Frisk's courage and determination was an inspiration to us all, and the thought that we would be forced Underground again just didn't seem fair. We had to try to coexist."

After a few moments of silence she continued, "The first attack was swift and brutal; soldiers surrounded Ebott, rounding up every monster who wasn't fast enough to escape. Some left Ebott; maybe they made it, maybe not. I'd like to think they found solace somewhere. Those captured were interrogated, examined, and then …" She shuddered before finishing, "Experimented on."

Fuku rubbed her shoulders, shuddering slightly. "That doesn't sound good."

"At first it was little things, small things. Tests of strength and endurance, examination of magic in action. When monsters started disappearing …" Toriel closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "We tried to put up a defense, to keep the SCP out of the Underground, but there are so many of them … and only so many monsters. Our magic only held out so long before we were pushed back, first out of New Home, then out of Hotland. Fortunately, the maze-like caverns of Waterfall were easy to sabotage. By funneling any incoming troops and booby-trapping obvious avenues of travel, we were able to finally hold off the Foundation squads, even with our reduced numbers."

Toriel closed her eyes and bowed her head. "That, I am sad to say, is where we are now. The Foundation can't get here, but we can't take back the rest of the Underground. Unfortuantely, this cannot last indefinitely; the Foundation has too many people, and we too few. Every monster lost is one that can't be replaced, not without years, and I doubt we have that much time."

A long moment of silence fell over the table. Sans's own emotions were mixed; he thought the Underfell universe seemed hopeless, but somehow, this was so much worse.

"Don't worry, Tori." 3177 said, patting the bossun woman's hand. "We'll think of somethin'. Somethin' big. Some of the humans are on our side, and both Asgore and Alphys are working together on somethin' big. Fortunately, our friends dropped in on us at just the right time to get me sprung. We'll need a day or two to sort out the final details."

Sans glanced at Artie and Fuku. They both nodded in silent agreement.

"Count us in." Sans said.

3177 and Toriel looked at him with obvious surprise. "You … want to help?"

"Hey, we're here." Sans said with a shrug. "And helpin's second nature to me, yeah."

"Second to taking naps." Fuku murmured.

"Can't excel at everything. I'm just one skeleton." Sans said with a shrug, prompting a chuckle from the rest of the table.

"Well, we appreciate any help you can give us." Toriel said. "There isn't much room here, but I'm sure I can arrange for something reasonably comfortable for the three of you. Could I ask that you keep an eye on the kids while I set it up?"

"Sure thing." Sans said. "Artie here loves kids."

Artie glowered at Sans as he and Fuku headed for the lobby, and Toriel walked further into the inn. Sans moved to follow Fuku and Artie, only for 3177 to stop him with a hand on his shoulder.

"Can't help but notice you skipped over what happened in your reality." 3177 said.

Sans was silent for a long moment before he finally said, "Not much to say. I made it out thanks to a friend I didn't even know I had. The rest of the Underground wasn't so lucky."

3177 nodded. "Sorry to hear that. Tell you what, why don't you meet me at Grillby's later? I'd like to hear more about it, if you don't mind tellin' it."

"Can't imagine it'd be helpful here."

"Maybe, maybe not. Just curious, really. Besides, I'd like to know how you and Fuku ended up together. If I tried anything with Grillby's girl here, I'm pretty sure I'd end up on the menu."

* * *

Glen was sitting in the rocking chair with her hands behind her head when Barbara Jagger slowly walked down the steps.

"I see you've made yourself at home." Missus Jagger said, a slight note of contempt in her voice.

"I'm stuck here." Glen said with a shrug. "Might as well get comfortable. That is, unless you'll just let me walk outta here."

Missus Jagger chuckled as she approached Glen. "But you just got here, my dear, and we have so much to talk about."

Sighing, Glen rose to her feet and faced the old woman. "You're wasting your time. I'm not gonna help you."

"Oh?"

"Don't work with bad guys. Or gals." Glen shrugged. "No offense. It's just not my style."

Miss Jagger nodded and slowly walked around Glen. "So you would say that you are a 'good guy' so to speak? That your behavior is virtuous and true?"

"Pretty virtuous., yeah." Glen said. "I helped stop a reality from collapsing. Heck, I had a hand in restoring all the realities destroyed in a nasty little cycle. I've rubbed elbows with heroes and heroines, fought more than my share of monsters, so yeah; I'd say I'm a pretty good person."

To Glen's surprise, Barbara Jagger laughed. It was a small chuckle at first, but in a matter of moments, her laughter seemed to reverberate off the wooden walls of the cabin.

"I can see it, you know." Missus Jagger said, circling Glen faster now. "For all the light and goodness you gird yourself with, I can see the darkness hiding. You may be a heroine now, but your actions have not always been pure. I will find this crack, and I will open it to reveal the darkness in your heart … and then, you will be mine to control, just like Mister Wake."

"Don't know what you're talkin' about." Glen said more defiantly than she felt.

"I think you do." Barbara Jagger whispered. "The balance of light in dark that exists with souls … you know more about it than most."

"If that's the case, then what about you?" Glen countered. "Maybe you're afraid I might find some sort of inner light. Would that sting a thing of darkness like you?"

Barbara laughed again before suddenly appearing directly in front of Glen, their faces only inches apart.

"You assume I have a soul. Now let us begin."


	20. Chapter 19 - Tourists

**Chapter 19**

 **Tourists**

The reefwoods are one of the more beautiful parts of the Glass ocean. The colorful 'trees' that poke out from the smooth surface of the ocean are in fact a type of hardy coral whose tentacles sprout in frond-like formations and flowers. The fronds absorb the light of the sun, while the flowers attract insects attracted by the scent of the nectar therein. The insects attract lizards and fish as well, which in turn attract vorpal crabs that eat the fish. The remains of the fish are then harvested by the coral as an additional food source, making the reefwoods their own little ecological system.

Asriel watched this cycle progress from the deck of a skimmer until the light of the sun gradually faded and the fronds and flowers receded into the coral, only for large pale leaves to emerge moments later, glowing softly.

"Wow." Shye said, her tail twitching as she lay beside Asriel on the deck of the skimmer. "So pretty."

"Yeah." Asriel said. Firefly-like creatures known as 'embers', were now flying around the glowing corals, their multi-color lights leaving small trails in their wake.

A click of a camera answered them. Asriel turned to see Sylpha lining up another shot with her comically large camera.

"Magnificent, isn't it?" she said, still sounding as though she had a cold. "It's amazing how the creatures have adapted to this environment."

Golemite responded with a slight snore; she was still fast asleep, despite the fact that Asriel and Shye were resting their backs against her side. The captain of the skimmer, a short woman with a decidedly mousey appearance (it was the tail and the whiskers, Asriel thought), was reluctant to take on the golem, but agreed to do so as long as Golemite remained stationary to prevent his skimmer from flipping. Since then, Golemote sat at the back of the skimmer, perfectly centered in front of the skimmer's engine, where the lift was the greatest. Bella was lying on a lounge chair nearby, wearing little more than a bikini and reading a book as she took in the sun.

"Captain Nobbs," Sylpha asked, turning to address the mouse captain. "Could we move closer to one of the trees? I'd like to take a nectar sample."

"I'm 'fraid not, Miss," Captain Nobbs told her. "That coral's razor sharp, you know. It'll tear through our hull in seconds … I've seen it happen to fellow captains who got careless. You want samples, try flagging down a Brinquella once we reach the islands; they harvest nectar, from what I hear. Potent stuff, from what I hear."

"It's alcoholic?"

"Oh, yes." Bella said idly as she flipped a page. "One shot's worth a good fifteen shards, and it'll make your head buzz for three hours. I considered collecting it myself, but it's just too dangerous."

"Couldn't you just have a crew man sail around and walk over to it?" Shye asked.

"And deal with the vorpal crabs? Those claws can cut through reinforced plating, and they have no problem attacking things bigger than them." Bella said. "No thank you; I'll stick to selling and leave the procurement for other people."

Asriel watched as one of the vorpal crabs slowly emerged from the water, carefully climbing up the side of the coral toward an unsuspecting lizard currently occupied with snapping at a few of the embers. The lizard noticed far too late; it tried to run, only for the crab to scuttle across the distance separating them with blinding speed and grab ahold of the lizard. Then, with a strange, deliberate care, it reached up with one claw and neatly severed the lizard's head.

"Right." Asriel said, feeling a little sick as he watched the crab calmly carried the headless lizard's still-flailing body beneath the surface.

"All right." Captain Nobbs said, "That should be the last reefwood until we reach the Natallis Islands. Everyone hold on."

The skimmer was forced to go slow through the reefwoods, but on clear water could go astoundingly fast. The sensation of travelling and the sight of the receding reefwood were the only indications of speed as the skimmer sped along the smooth expanse of the ocean, at least until the first of the Natallis islands appeared.

The Natallis islands were essentially large mounds of rock and sand rising through the depths of the Glass Ocean. Despite appearing smooth, the Glass Ocean did move in some fashion, causing a general accumulation of sediment, sand, and other materials in certain places. The smaller islands were mostly home to families of scavengers who searched the sandy shores for the usual assortement of seashells, as well as any goods and materials that could be of use.

The largest of these islands was Meringue Point, a large island about half the size of nowhere. Interestingly enough, the island was home to a large lagoon, with actual water created from large-scale converters similar to those used in kitchens across the glass ocean.

The port was full of activity, mostly fishing skimmers and local kids on slicers. A few cutters were docked as well, looking much like the ancient sailing vessels used by humans. Asriel, who didn't know anything about ancient human sailing vessels, was fascinated by the large ships: the sails, the rigging, the figureheads, and most of all, the blades. Cutters move by means of massive bladed ridges under the bow and stern. Extremely sharp, these blades cut through the viscous ocean water with ease, allowing the ship to travel on the wind. Should the wind come to a halt, circular blades placed along the bottom of the ship will propel the vessel slowly, preventing it from sinking. These secondary blades are run mechanically, but can be operated manually, preventing the ship from ever getting stuck. It still happened of course, but it was rare enough to be considered suspicious when a cutter went missing.

The skimmer came to a halt beside the dock. A large claw attached to the dock lifted the skimmer from the ocean and set it neatly into an appropriately-sized parking spot, struggling only a little with the increased load.

Shutting down the ship's engine, Captain Nobbs said, "Well, I hope you enjoyed the trip. I'll be heading back in a few days if you want to catch a ride back with me, though I'm sure there are others who can ferry you as well if I'm unavailable."

"Thank you." Sylpha said, shaking the woman's hand. "Um … are you sure you won't reconsider?"

"Heading to the edge?" Captain Nobbs shuddered and shook her head. "No thank you. Even if my little ship had the energy to pass beyond known waters, I've got a husband and kids to think about about. No, I'll leave the adventuring to you people."

"Don't worry." Captain Nobbs added, no doubt seeing Sylpha's disappointed face. "This place sees all kinds of adventurers heading in all directions. You'll find a captain to take you further, I'm sure of it. Just … be careful, okay? You seem like decent folk, and I'd hate to have to tell Miss Bella that her sister's friends up and disappeared."

After smacking Golemite a few times to wake her up, Asriel and his friends stepped onto the reinforced wooden boards of the dock. They were half-way to shore before Shye spoke.

"Up and disappeared, huh?" Shye said, glancing back at Captain Nobbs's ship. "Is it just me, or does it sound like she knows somethin'?"

"She's just a-afraid of the unknown." Sylpha said, adjusting her glasses. "I b-bet there's all sorts of r-rumors about what lies beyond charted w-waters."

"Probably." Golemite stifled a yawn.

Asriel snorted. "Don't tell me you're tired. You've spent most of the last three weeks asleep.

"No such thing as too much sleep, Azzie." Golemite said with a chuckle. "Right now, though, I'd really like a good drink."

"Ah!" Sylpha said, the raccoon-woman's face brightening. "Yes, a bar would be an e-excellent place to ask q-questions about what's out there."

"Well, just be careful." Bella told them. "Bars around here can be a little rough."

"You're not going with us?" Shye asked.

Bella shook her head. "I'm going to see about getting us a cutter for the next part of our voyage. Don't worry; this isn't my first visit here; just remember to stay together. Lone tourists are considered easy pickings."

"Thanks, Bella." Golemite rumbled. "Talkin' wit you is always so reassurin'."

Bella shrugged, a ghost of a smile on her face. "Just being practical. Stay together, and we'll meet up in an hour or so, okay? And keep an eye on your packs; this stuff has to last us for awhile.

Any visitor to a port can tell you that any place with a large number of ships will have bars close by, as drinking and sailing are ancient bedfellows. This was definitely the case on Meringue; once Asriel and his friends left the docks, they found themselves not far from several bars, the busiest of which bore the rather benign name of 'the Salty Peanut'.

The reason for the name became clear all too soon … in fact, it became clear when Golemite put her foot down and filled the air with the sound of crunching shells. The floor was covered with discarded peanut shells and dust from shells long since trodden into dust.

Every table in the place had a large bowl of peanuts on it. Patrons ate the peanuts and tossed the shells to the floor without care in the world. Serving men and women occasionally made rounds, filling cups and tankards as well as the peanut bowls.

"Oh my." Sylpha said, a little taken aback. "M-maybe we should find a cleaner place."

"You kiddin'?" Golemite said, already moving toward the nearest empty table. "This place is perfect. Cozy, even."

Asriel followed his friend to an empty table, Shye not far behind him. Fortunately, the padding of their feet was thick enough to keep them from having to pull more than a few bits of shell from his feet.

They'd only been sitting a few moments when one of the servers, a rather harried-looking bird-woman with blue feathers approached their table.

"Whaddya want?" She asked, eyes on her notepad as she held her pen poised above the paper.

"Um … do you have a menu?" Sylpha asked, unable to keep the nervousness from her smile.

The bird-woman gave her a long, hard look. "Got it memorized. Ya want ale, rum, or grog?"

"What's in the grog?" Golemite asked.

"If ya gotta ask-"

"-It ain't what ya want." Golemite finished. "Got it. I'll have ale."

"R-rum." Sylpha said, looking more nervous than ever.

The server glanced at Asriel and Shye. Asriel smiled cheerily back at her until she shook her head and said, "One ale, one rum, and two milks."

"Can I have chocolate imilk?" Shye asked, only to receive a baleful glare in return before the bird-woman walked away from the table.

"Friendly sort." Golemite said with a chuckle.

Shye and Asriel didn't respond, already going to work on the bowl of peanuts. While Bella packed them plenty of rations, dried fruit bars were only appealing for so long.

Sylpha took a handful of peanuts as well, but had trouble cracking them open.

Golemite leaned toward the raccoon woman. "Need some help?"

"P-please." She said, moving her hands away from her pile of peanuts.

Golemite slammed a hand down on the small mound, which in addition to opening the shells also reduced the peanuts within to pieces best described as crumbs.

Asriel chuckled softly, but his mirth wasn't long-lived. There were a lot of looks going their way, and not many of them seemed all that happy. Even the ape bartender stole furtive glances at them as he polished tankards with a dirty rag.

The server returned as Sylpha stared sadly at her pile of peanut fragments. She quickly set the drinks in front of each person before setting down a greasy basket of onion rings as well.

Before Asriel could comment that they hadn't ordered anything to eat (yet, anyway), the server jerked a thumb at the bar, saying, "Compliments of the lizard."

The group turned as one to the bar, where a lizard woman in a heavy leather coat gave them a sharp-toothed smile before raising her glass at them.

"Huh." Golemite murmured, "Looks like someone wants to be a friend."

"What should we do?" Sylpha asked, the look of terror on her face more befitting a woman who was just told a cadre of cannibals was inviting them to lunch.

"Just look friendly, that's my motto." Golemite gave the lizard woman a smile and raised her glass in turn. "Still, place like dis, could be easy to poison somethin'."

Asriel looked at Shye, who was already on her third onion ring.

"They're good." She said through a mouthful of onion and breading. "Try some."

Shrugging, Asriel decided it was worth a risk. It was good, if a bit on the greasy side. That worked in it's favor; it reminded Asriel of Jenny's diner.

"Uh-oh." Golemite said as she raised her glass. "Looks like she's comin' to say hello."

"What?" Sylpha said, eyes widening.

"Jus' relax." Golemite told her. "Dis is what you were lookin' for, yeah? Someone to ask about rumors and stuff?"

"Well, y-yes, I know, b-but-"

A tankard slammed down on the table, still held by a scaly fist.

"Ahoy there, mates." Said the lizard woman, setting the chair she'd dragged behind her beside Sylpha, much to Sylpha's discomfort. "Didn't mean to be interruptin' ya, but bein' a charitable sort, and seein' as you're tourists, I figured I'd welcome ya to our fair little city. Naddy's the name."

"What makes you think we're tourists?" Asriel asked. Something about the woman struck him as a bit off … and at the same time, very familiar.

Naddy laughed, showing off plenty of sharp teeth. "Anyone could jus' look at the lot of ye and figure that out, boy. Buncha land-lubbers like you stick out like sore thumbs. Say, what brings you out this far, anyway?"

"Said it yourself." Golemite said before raising her glass again. "We're tourists lookin' to have a nice vacation."

"But Golemite," Sylpha said, "I thought-"

"See the sights." Golemite interrupted loudly, "Get somma dat great sea air we keep hearin' about."

Naddy gave Golemite a big smile that clearly said she didn't believe a word of it. "I see, I see. And what sights have you got in mind?"

"Whatever's around." Golemite said with a shrug.

Realization suddenly dawned on Sylpha's face. If there was any doubt that Golemite was lying, Sylpha suddenly blurting out, "That's right! We're just, uh, here to look at, uh things." Swiftly put it to rest.

Golemtie sighed and rubbed her temples as Naddy let out a loud laugh.

"Nice try." Naddy said, "Most tourists go to Gealle; people headin' out here generally fall into two categories; people lookin' to off-load shall we say questionable goods, and adventurers … and stop me if I'm wrong, but you don't look like people needin' a good fence."

Golemite leaned forward, eyes narrowed. "We're da kind of people who don't need no one pokin' dere nose in our business, Miss Naddy. Tanks for da grub."

Naddy's smile froze on her face for a long moment before going wider. "Now is that any way to treat a friend?"

"We ain't friends." Golemite said. "An' if you don't go find someone else to bug, I'm gonna get real unfriendly."

"Really?" Naddy said, lifting her tankard. She started to take a drink, only to suddenly turn her tankard and throw the remaining liquid at Golemite's face.

Golemite let out roar of pain as the foul liquid ran down her face and stained her shirt. The rest of the crowd was silent now, all watching with wide eyes as Golemite rose to her feet, eyes now glowing red. "Dat was a mistake, missy. I'm gonna crush you like a bug!"

Golemite brought one massive fist down, only for Naddy to skip back out of the way, causing the golem's fist to slam into the table and knock it to the floor.

Shye, who had the forethought to grab the onion rings before the fight started, quickly put some distance between herself and the group as Golemite rushed at Naddy, tackling her to the bar. The ape behind the bar started jabbering as Naddy caught Golemite's fist and held it with a strength her form belied. The other patrons were cheering, with the occasional wolf-whistle sounding above the clamor.

Still, stopping the punch wasn't the same as overpowering Golemite, and soon Golemite was forcing Naddy to the ground. The lizard-woman's free hand scrambled at the bar before grabbing a bottle and smashing it against Golemite's head.

Golemite staggered back, falling to the floor with a thud that shook the room. Naddy picked up a chair despite the protests of the bartender and slowly approached Golemite.

"You learned your lesson yet, or do I need to club it into ya?" Naddy asked.

Golemite didn't respond, other than to slowly push herself up from the floor. Shrugging, Naddy approached Golemite from behind, raising the chair to smash it into the stone woman.

"Oy! Fish-face!" A bowl full of peanuts flew through the air, the peanuts bouncing off Naddy harmlessly while the bowl smacked her right in the skull. The crowd went silent, their eyes all moving to the source of this attack. Asriel was surprised to realized that it was him: he'd thrown the bowl and shouted the insult.

"Really, kid?" Naddy said, a look of disbelief on her face. "You want summa this"

Asriel stood defiantly, his hands clenched. "You leave my friend alone."

Naddy stared at him a moment longer before an evil grin spread across her face. She took a step toward him, only to stop as a massive stone hand caught her other leg.

"Mus' protect da prince." Golemite mumbled before hurling Naddy across the room.

She slammed into a man who truly had a fish face, knocking him into a bear of a fellow who looked to have passed out some time ago. The bear awoke with a start before glaring at the fish face and sending him spinning with a well-aimed swipe. Fish-face stumbled into another patron, this one a short burly fellow who wasted no time in leaping onto Fish-face's back and pummeling him with tiny fists. This caused Fish-face to flail about, knocking into other patrons until it seemed everyone was on their feet. The bartender gave up his attempts to contain the crowd and ducked behind the desk as the fight became a brawl.

Asriel hurried over to Golemite, who still looked a little shakey.

"Your Majesty?" She mumbled.

"It's me, Asriel. Are you okay?"

"Jus' fine." Golemite said. "Where's Shye?"

Asriel looked around, but could find no sign of their friend or her little flynx, Mina. He was still looking when a loud whistle shot through the room, bringing everything to a halt. Literally to a halt, it turns out, as Asriel found he couldn't move.

Armored monsters entered the room in uniforms that Asriel didn't have to recognize to know that they belonged to the authorities, whoever they may have been in the city of Meringue.

"All right, all right." Said a man with the head of a pug. "Maker's Breath, you lot are startin' a bit early today, arentcha? You coulda let me finish my coffee."

There were a few grumbles and insults following this from around the room, none loud enough to pinpoint. The pug cop sighed and said, "All right, I'm gonna release the stasis field, and I don't wanna hear a single word; just point to whoever started it."

Asriel wasn't surprised when a moment later, most fingers were pointed at him and Golemite, with the rest pointing at the recumbent body of Naddy. His body froze as the pug's magic took hold again, freezing both him and Golemite in place. He could only watch as Naddy, Golemite, and he slowly rose into the air and followed the pug-cop out of the bar.

The cells of the Meringue jail were basically the same as cells anywhere, not that Asriel had much experience with such things. Stone walls, beds that were more properly described as slabs, and metal bars preventing those inside from leaving. Asriel, Golemite, Sylpha, and Naddy were put into different cells watched by a sleepy-eyed dog who snapped to attention when the pug cop entered and delivered the prisoners. The sleepy guard remained awake long enough to pour what appeared to be dog kibble into four bowls and set one outside each cell close enough for the occupants to grab them before returning to his chair. Within moments, he was fast asleep.

Asriel tried a piece of kibble, more out of curiosity than actual hunger. It was hard and bore the popular taste of chicken mixed with sand.

"Well." Naddy said, plopping down on her cell's plank and pulling a worn deck of cards from her coat pocket. "Anybody up for a game?"

Asriel ignored her, focusing his attention instead on Golemite. "Hey, are you okay?"

"Yeah." Golemite tried to sit on her bed, only for the plank to splinter under her weight. She blinked a few times before simply resting her back against the wall of the cell. "I think I'm gonna take a nap."

"What? No, Golemite, you can break us outta-" Asriel stopped as the sound of Golemite's snoring almost overpowered the snoring of the guard.

Sighing, Asriel sat on his own plank. He looked over to Sylpha, only to find her huddled on her own bed, hugging her legs to her chest. The white fur of her cheeks was tinged red from her blush.

"Don't worry." Naddy said, shuffling her cards. "We might as well do somethin' to pass the time, yeah?"

"This is your fault." Asriel said, glaring at her.

"Me?" Naddy said, feigning innocence. "I just wanted to be friendly, and offer you a ride on me ship. Yer friend was the one who got all sniffy about it. C'mon; just one game. It's not like we got anythin' else to do."

She was right. As annoying as that was, Asriel let out a sigh and nodded.

"Good." Looking at Sylpha, Naddy asked, "How about you, cutie?"

That seemed to snap Sylpha from her embarressed trance. "C-cutie?"

"You want in?" Sylpha flipped the top card of the deck and twirled it around her fingers, revealing it to be the ace of hearts. "You want in?"

Sylpha's blush was back. "Oh … um … well …"

"Good." Naddy tossed the cards with expert aim, landing them face-down just past the bars of their cells. Lifting her hand, she asked, "Ante is two pellets of this crap they call food."

About an hour passed before Shye arrived at the cell block with Bella in tow. She glanced at the cells one by one, starting with Golemite still asleep in her cell and Naddy shuffling her cards beside her own half-full bowl. Bella turned to the other side of the cell, where Asriel was toying with his last piece of kibble while Sylpha stared at her cards with a fierce intensity, her own bowl overflowing.

"Bella!" Asriel said, dropping his pellet and rising to his feet. "Shye!"

Bella clucked her tongue as she glided down the stairs. "Honestly, I leave you alone for a few moments. A good thing Shye had the forethought to run out of the bar."

"That's right." Shye said, Mina letting out a meow of agreement as well. "I had to eat the rest of those onion rings by myself."

"You poor thing." Asriel said without an ounce of pity in his voice. Shye stuck her tongue out at him. Shaking his head, he flicked his final piece of kibble across the cells, where it bounced off Golemite's head. Golemite sat up with a start.

"Whazzat?" Golemite mumbled, peering around. "Where am I?"

"Jail." Bella said as she approached the sleeping dog guard. "But not for long. Officer?"

When the sleeping guard failed to respond, she rolled her eyes and leaned down close to his ear.

"Officer Benz?" She whispered, her voice soft and sweet.

"Mmm."

"I have a message from Sergeant Evans."

"Mmm?"

"That's right. I believe he wanted me to tell you … WAKE UP!"

The guard awoke instantly, leaping to his feet and bringing a paw to his head in a salute.

Shaking her head, Bella pointed to her friends and said, "I'm here to pick up these three."

"Right." The guard barked, still sounding a little nervous. As he fumbled for the keys, Naddy quickly got to her feet.

"Say, couldn't see to getting' me bailed out as well, could ya?"

Bella glared at Naddy. "From what Shye says, you're the reason they're here."

"All right, fair enough, but she did mention my offer, yeah? You lot, you're plannin' an expedition, that much is clear just lookin' at ya. You'll need a good cutter, and my ship's the fastest on the Glass Ocean."

"Hmm. A shame your ship's captain got herself locked up in jail for instigating a fight." Bella said as the guard dog opened Asriel's cell.

"Just a bit of a brawl, lass, that's all." Naddy said with a laugh. "Everyone enjoy's a good rough and tumble with one's mates every now and then, eh?"

Bella didn't respond. The guard released Golemite, who shuffled out of her cell, still looking at little dazed.

"Look here." Naddy said, a slight note of panic in her voice as the guard approached Sylpha's cell. "I know we ain't got off on the right foot here, but you need me. I'm the best captain around, and my ship's gone farther than any other."

"I'm sure every captain in the port would say the same thing." Bella said as Sylpha stepped out of the cell looking ashamed.

As Bella led the others toward the door, Naddy called out, "But none of them has actually seen what's at the far shore of the Glass Ocean, have they? None of them know about … the Edge."

"The Edge?" Asriel said, turning around. "You mean the shore?"

Naddy pointed to the lock of her cell meaningfully.

Asriel, Bella, Golemite, and Sylpha went into a huddle.

"Well?" Bella asked, "Is she trustworthy?"

Golemite shook his head. "Not a chance."

"That doesn't mean she's not tellin' the truth." Asriel said. "Sylpha, what do you think?"

"M-me? Oh, I d-don't know. S-she seems nice. She's brash and all, but I don't think she means to harm any of us; she just wants in on the adventure. There's not a lot out here, and the possibility of seeing something new, of being part of that experience … it's a major draw. Oh, I'm sure she's hiding something, but everyone has secrets."

Everyone stared at her in silence for a few moments. It was Golemite who eventually said, "You gleaned all of dat from playin' cards?"

"And what happened to your stutter?" Shye asked suspiciously.

Sylpha stuttered for a few moments uncertainly until Asriel felt it necessary to cut in for mercy's sake.

"Look," Asriel said, "We need a cutter, right? She's got a cutter, and given h

Bella approached the cell door, hands on her hips. "And I suppose you'll take us there?"

"Well, yeah. For a price, o'course; runnin' a ship ain't a charity. Let's say … a hundred coins, minus the usual fifty-coin travel fees for bailin' me out of here?"

"Seventy coins."' Bella said.

"Seventy-five." Naddy countered. "I did buy them onion rings."

"Seventy-three, or you can just cool your heels in that cell."

Naddy made a show of deliberating before letting out a sigh and saying, "Fine, fine. Seventy-three coins it is."

She spat on her palm and held it out to Bella, who accepted it without flinching much to Asriel's surprise. Bella nodded at the guard, who shuffled over and unlocked the cell.

"Thank ye." Naddy said with a grin. With a flick of her wrist, all of her cards flew back into her hand. "So, now that we're all mates, maybe you can be tellin' me what it is you're really wantin' to do?"

"Let's see your ship first." Bella said evenly.

Naddy gave a surprisingly graceful bow to Bella. "Of course, miss, of course."

As Naddy took the lead, Golemite slowed to walk beside Asriel.

"Azzie," She said, her voice masked by Naddy as the cutter captain bragged loudly to Sylpha of her ocean exploits. "About da Everstar …"

"What Everstar?" Asriel replied, eyes on Naddy.

Golemite nodded in satisfaction. "Glad we're on da same page."


	21. Chapter 20 - Goodwill and Innocence

**Chapter 20**

 **Goodwill and Innocence**

Glen clutched the handles of her chaser, urging it forward even faster in the face of the driving rain sweeping across the plains of Longshore. She had to squint to see through the driving rain, the chaser's windshield reduced to nothing more than a few jagged shards of glass still bolted into place. The cause of the damage ran a good distance ahead of Glen, its six legs propelling it across the hilly terrain at a speed even the chaser was having trouble matching. Covered with dull green scales and possessed of a wicked claw at the end of each leg as well as a spiked tail, the durien's attitude quickly turned from fight to flight when Glen revealed she had claws of her own.

The chaser sped along the tall grass of the plains toward the durien, the space between them growing smaller and smaller until they were only a few feet apart. Setting the Chaser to automatically chase the durien, Glen carefully climbled over the shattered windshield, crouched while making sure her feet didn't slip across the chaser's smooth panels, and leapt.

The durien roared as Glen landed heavily on its back and brought all six limbs down, bringing it to an instant halt. Glen scrambled for something to grab, but was sent flying over the durien's head to land on the ground with a painful thud.

The durien was on her in an instant, its reptilian maw open to chomp her in half. Glen caught the front of each jaw with Headache, the mechanical hands giving her just enough strength to keep the jaws from closing on her.

"Stop making this so difficult." Glen hissed through her own clenched teeth. She planted her foot on the durien's lower jaw and quickly flicked through her now-freed hand's Headache subsystems. Unfortunately, she didn't see the tongue snaking toward her until it was too late; it wrapped around her leg and pulled hard, making her fall to the roof of the durien's mouth just inches away from the reptile's sharp teeth, moments before the upper jaw slammed down.

The durien raised its head as it did when attempting to swallow difficult prey. When it finally lowered its head again, there were no bulges indicating Glen's presence.

The durien took a few steps before letting out a roar of surprise and immediately falling on its side, its legs lying in a tengled heap.

After a few moments, its mouth slowly opened to reveal a very slimy-looking Glen, one of her Headache units now ending in a syringe that resembled a turkey injector, the material resevoir now empty.

She let the creature's jaw fall once she was out and took a moment to close her eyes and breathe in the cool night air as the rainfall washed the stomach acid and other unsavory contents of the durien's stomach from her body.

The sound of clapping made her eyes shoot open again. She looked toward the sound to find Sans standing beside her idling Chaser, his usual grin plastered across his skull as he applauded.

"Just like you to get to the heart of things."

"No jokes, please." Glen said. "I can still smell its last meal."

"Hard to stomach, huh?"

Glen glowered at Sans for a moment before walking to the durien's hindquarters. Deactivating the injector and replacing it with her plasma cutter, she swiftly sliced the durien's tail off just above the creature's backside. It grunted in it's sleep, but the sedative Glen used was powerful; in another moment, it was fast asleep again.

"Won't it find it's loss of tail a pain in the butt? Er, so to speak?" Sans asked, grinning just a bit wider to make it clear his choice of words was not accidental.

"Duriens are innately magical beings." Glen said, rolling up the tail into a coils. "It'll take a month, maybe two for it to grow a new tail and be back to terrorizing livestock."

"Charming." Sans said. Once the tail was tucked away in Glen's pouch, she asked, "Any luck with Cimorene?"

"Well, yes and no. She has some hens' teeth, but she wants three quills from something called a darunite in exchange."

Glen winced. "Ugh. That might be a problem; the only darunite colony I've encountered is on Midraoss, and those buggers don't like me much."

"Should they?"

"I didn't misplace their goddess!' Glen snapped. "She deliberately vanished and left me holding the sack. I've tried to tell them, but they just won't listen!"

Shaking her head, she asked, "Any word from Tori?"

Sans's smile faded. "Frisk's running high-fever. Tori's brought in a doctor, but apparently, he still can't nail down why she's sick."

"Not surprised." Glen said. "Magical illnesses are a bit of a mystery even in my time. I just hope this recipe isn't bubkiss."

"It was in your notebook." Sans said, raising an eyeridge at her.

"Yeah, so is my Chzo Mythos fanfiction."

The durien shifted, the scales rubbing together sounding like a rack of armor being moved.

"Okay," Sans said in a quieter voice, "Let's continue this somewhere a bit dryer, eh?"

"Good idea." Glen said, taking his hand. "We still got a lot of stuff to collect."

* * *

Sans awoke with a start, the remnants of the Dream leaving him confused until he remembered that Glen's Sans was in fact a different Sans. He glanced around the modest little hotel room and found Artie asleep and snoring softly on one cot, three little bunny children snoring in unison around him. Chuckling softly, Sans quietly rose from his makeshift bed and slipped on his coat before stepping out of the room.

Snowdin was quiet; while there was no true day or night in the Underground, people tended to fall into a pattern. He'd seen it often, his own sleeping pattern being erratic at best. Still, the town wasn't completely deserted; several guards patrolled the area, many giving Sans looks of respect likely intended for 3177. Sans waved back; either way, it paid to be friendly.

His feet eventually led him to Grillby's. From the sounds coming from the front door, it was far from empty. Eager for something to eat, Sans pushed his way through the doors.

Alternate dimensions, parallel worlds, other realities … whatever you choose to call it, it is easy to fall back on the idea of the 'what if?' when describing them. "What if Frisk was a killer? What if the monsters were killers? What if the humans were monsters and vice-versa?" The problem with the 'what if' description is that it attempts to simply an entire reality, something that any Dreamer will warn you is foolish at best. Often, the differences in reality can come down to a great many things, lesser in scope than the 'what if' scenario, but nevertheless very surprising for one not expecting them.

Sans noticed the building was bigger on the outside, but hadn't thought much of it. Stepping into Grillby's, however, and finding it much more like the restaurant in Hotland's hotel, complete with stage, was a bit of a shock. The black chairs and tables, the soft lighting, the bar with its shelves of colored liquors and condiments gave the establishment the feel of a night club rather than a diner.

Still, the sudden shout of "Sans!" from a dozen mouths, one of which was Grillby himself, looking a little redder than Sans remembered, made Sans instantly feel at home. He waved and grinned at the other patrons, some of whom had familiar faces, before taking a stool at the bar.

"Hey, Grillby." Sans said.

Grillby nodded. "Welcome. Sans said you'd stop by."

"Well, I've never known me to be a liar.' Sans said with a shrug. "Can I get some ketchup?"

Grillby reached under the counter and set a full red container in front of Sans. "Been harder to make, what with the Foundation and all."

"I appreciate it." Sans said, fumbling in his coat pocket before producing a few coins.

Grillby raised a flaming eyebrow at Sans, a look of amusement on his face. "You? Pay? Then you really are from another dimension."

"Guilty as charged." Sans raised his bottle. "To becoming somewhat responsible."

"I have a wife and daughter, thank you very much." Grillby paused and added, "But I'll drink to you returning our Sans. This place hasn't been the same without him."

"Fair enough." Sans savored the taste of the ketchup, the slight bit of garlic as delightful as ever. Letting out a satisfied sigh, Sans asked, "Where is my other self? Kinda thought I'd run into him here."

Grillby opened his mouth to reply, but was interrupted by another loud shout of "Sans!"

Sans turned to see 3177 entering the bar. With fresh clothes, he really looked identical to Sans, though perhaps his smile wasn't quite so big. He nodded at Sans and walked over slowly, greeting a few others before taking the stool beside Sans.

"I weep for my tomato garden." Grillby said with a smirk as he set another ketchup bottle in front of 3177. Even Sans watched with amazement as 3177 downed most of the bottle in one long gulp.

"Ah." 3177 sighed. "It's been way too long since I had somethin' decent to eat. Those SCP bastards kept shovin' plates of this protein paste crap into my cell. If it weren't for the ketchup packets, I'd starved by now."

"They gave you condimints?" Grillby asked.

3177 finished off his bottle. "Not at first, but the lady watchin' my cage was nice enough to slip 'em in for me. Just about the only decent person I met over there."

3177 turned to Sans as Grillby took away the empty ketchup container. "So, how you findin' our little slice of home?"

"Different." Sans admitted. "But not bad, considering the Foundation goons are at your doorstep."

'Buddy, you don't know the half of it. Thanks, Grillby." 3177 nodded at the fiery bartender.

The parting of the stage curtain stopped further conversation. The velvet draping the stage was pulled away to reveal a fiery woman who could only have been Missus Grillby. Her purple flames licked about a stunning dress as she took the microphone and gestured at the band, who immediately began playing a slow jazz number.

Sans could only watch as Grillby's wife sang, her voice beautiful yet sad. Perhaps it was the song, Sans thought, though he suspected their situation with the SCP Foundation was more than enough cause for saddness.

"Hey."

Sans turned to see 3177 tugging at his coat sleeve. In a quiet voice, his other self asked, "So what did happen in your dimension?"

Sans took another swallow from his bottle before letting out a sigh. "Frisk was possessed. I don't know it it was this crud we call the ichor or if it was Princess Chara like it claimed; either way, she tore through the Underground killing everyone in her way."

"Papyrus?"

"Died buying time for the rest of Snowdin to escape." Sans said, focusing his vision on the label of his bottle. "All I found was his scarf, lying on the ground right the edge of town. I guess that's when I realized how serious things were … unfortunately, the kid was fast. I found Undyne as a pile of ash as I passed through waterfall, and one of Alphys's robots was lying broken in the lobby of the Hotland hotel. Nothing but little piles of ash everywhere."

"I'm sorry." 3177 said, his own gaze lowered. "Must've been tough."

"It was." Sans agreed. "It still is, to be honest, but after all this dimension hopping stuff … I dunno."

"About that," 3177 said, "How did that get started?"

"A human woman named Glen. She saved me from the Frisk of my dimension, helped bring down the barrier and stopped Asgore from destroying the surface. Turns out in her dimension, things all worked out."

"Yeah?"

"Monsters all over the galaxy, according to her. Ebott … the human settlement near the Underground."

"I remember." 3177 said in a quiet voice.

"Right." Sans said, "Well, apparently in her reality, we all live together. I'm sensing ol' Glen's hand in some of that, if there's any truth to my dreams. In any case, we were welcomed. We even got married."

"No kiddin'." 3177 said, a look of disbelief on his skull that quickly turned to astonishment. "Huh. Never thought we'd get hitched. Who's the lucky woman?"

"Queen Toriel, apparently." Sans nodded in response to the shocked look on 3177's face. "Yeah, that's what I said. Frisk lives with them as their kid too. Papyrus heads the town guard, and Alphys and Undyne eventually got hitched."

Chuckling, 3177 shook his head and said, "Well, it's nice to know someone got a happily ever after, even Paps. He'd like that."

The silence that followed that statement was all too telling. Sans put a hand on 3177's shoulder. "What happened?"

"That's the thing." 3177 said. "I don't know. The foundation goons, they grabbed everyone they could get their hands on. We got classified into a bunch of groups unless we cause real trouble, like me. Thing is, if you weren't a trouble-maker and they had extra of your 'type', they made you a D-class."

"D-class?"

"Just what they called it. Basically guinea pigs. They took volunteers at first, and … well, you know Papyrus. He wanted to help, he wanted to show that we could all work together. He volunteered."

3177 fell silent again. Sans waited patiently for the rest.

"Expendable." 3177 said, staring again at his ketchup container. "That's what D-class means. They do it to themselves, too; they used to throw D-class at me a few times to see how I'd react. That's where I found out what happens to D-class who survive the experiments."

"They're let go?" Sans asked. "Made into researchers or somethin'?"

"No." 3177 said, his voice quiet. "Mandatory execution. I thought the monsters would be exempted from that, but …" 3177 shook his head. "During my first escape, I found the area where they disposed of the bodies … and the ashes. And then … well, let's just say I found I had more LOVE than I care to admit. Did a number on 'em, and even got a few monsters out before they caught me, slapped me with my own designation, and tossed me in that cell."

Sans didn't know what to say to that. Then again, what could someone have said to Sans when he found his brother's scarf lying in the snow? All there really was to do was to drink in silence.

The beep of Sans's cell-phone came as a relief. Sans pulled out the phone to find a text message from Fuku, "Meet me at the Ruins, plz?"

"Well, this has been fun." Sans said, rising from his stool. "But my lady's calling for me."

"Your lady?" Grillby said as he took away the empty containers. "Anyone I know?"

"Er …"

"Nah." 3177 said with a carefree wave. "You go on; I'm gonna stay here a bit longer. Oh, and don't stay out too long; Alphys wants to see us tomorrow."

"Roger that." Sans fished out a few coins and left them on the counter for the bemused Grillby before heading out of the diner and across town to the Snowdin fields.

Nostalgia gripped him as he walked through the snow-covered fields. It had been awhile since he'd seen the place so much like it had been back in his dimension. It sparked so many memories: memories of his dog-friends of the Royal Guard, memories of Papyrus both as a child and as an adult tromping through the fields, memories of puzzles and pranks years passed.

Fuku was waiting for him just inside the passage to the ruins, the door already wide open.

"Hey." She said before giving him a small kiss. "Sorry to call you out here so late."

"Anything for the old ball and flame." He said with a grin.

She let out a snort. "Call me that again, and I'll show you flame, fluffy-bones."

Chuckling, Sans held out his arm. Fuku accepted it and leaned against him slightly as they walked into the Ruins. Toriel's home was much the same as it had been in the other dimensions, though notably cleaner than that of the Underfell dimension. Somehow, the sight of Toriel wasn't all that surprising. The Bossun woman was asleep in the living room, her glasses still on her head and an open book in her lap. Fuku held a finger to her lips, and Sans nodded in agreement before the two of them snuck out of Toriel's home.

"She must be exhausted, taking care of all those children." Fuku said as they passed the tree with the bare limbs in front of Toriel's house. "Sixty-eight children in all, believe it or not. Every child whose parents were taken."

"Doesn't surprise me." Sans said. "Tori of UNDR-Ground had her own little legion too. Heck, even your future step-mother loves the heck out of Frisk and Asriel. She's a natural mother, I guess."

Glancing at Fuku, Sans said, "Speakin' of moms, I heard your mom singing at Grillby's. Kinda surprised I didn't see you there."

"I thought about it." Fuku admitted, "But … well, the Fuku of this dimension was captured. If I go there, it might give them false hope, and even if they're not really my parents, I just can't do that to them."

"Fuku was captured?" Sans sighed and shook his head. "That's why Missus Grillby looked so sad. Man, this whole reality is kinda depressing. Monsters either trapped in cells or trapped in the Underground, chilren without their parents. Papyrus …"

After a few moments of silence, Fuku said, "I'm sorry. I was hoping we could talk about something to get our minds off all this mess."

"Oh? Got somethin' in mind?"

Her cheeks burned rosy. "Well … what if we hadn't been dragged from the UNDR-Ground? What would we have talked about?"

"Well, there's your father and Tori getting hitched." Sans said. "You seem fond of Tori, and I know Frisk has a soft spot for her."

"She does." Fuku agreed. "And Asriel's adjusted well, considering what he's been through. I still have a hard time imagining what it would be like, to exist being unable to feel happiness or love."

On impulse, Sans gave her a kiss on the cheek. Her cheeks burned red again. They strolled hand-in-hand through the puzzle-filled rooms. The room with the false floor was inactive, though Sans took care to carry both he and Fuku across with telekinesis. There was a permeating feel of peace seemingly exuded by the Ruins that helped ease the tension caused by their adventure.

"The thing is," Fuku said, her hand moving a flicker of flame from her eyes. "With Toriel and Dad getting married, our house feels a little cramped. It wasn't so bad when I was in college, but now that I'm going for my Doctorate, the house can be a bit … noisy."

"I'll bet." Sans said with a chuckle. "Asriel and Frisk running up and down the stairs constantly, the both of them poking into anything that makes them curious."

"Oh, you have no idea." She said, laughing as well. "They get into everything. Little troublemakers, that's what they are. I love 'em like, well, siblings, but I wish I had a quiet place to-"

"You could move in with me."

Fuku stopped and stared at him, making Sans blush. Rubbing the back of his head, he said, "Well, you already spend a lot of time at my place. You certainly do more than your share of keeping the place clean, somethin' I'm honestly a bit sorry about. I've got an extra bedroom, and having you there might give us a chance to see how it might be."

"How what might be?" Fuku asked, her voice quiet.

Feeling suddenly on the spot, Sans took a deep breath and looked her in the eyes. "How it might be for us to be living together. Y'know, as a couple. I mean, if you're interested in that sort of thing. I ain't tryin' to push you or-"

She interrupted him with a long, tender kiss. Her cheeks still red, she said, "How long have you been thinking about this?"

"Since before we left the UNDR-Ground." Sans admitted. "I was thinking about asking you the night Glen showed up, but … well, you know the rest."

"Sans." She said, squeezing his hands. "I think it's a great idea."

"You do?" Sans said, relief flooding through him.

"Mm-hmm." She leaned close to him, stopping just short of kissing him again. "But only if you promise me one thing."

"Yeah?"

"Pick up your socks."

Sans stared at her for a moment before bursting into laughter, Fuku doing the same moments after. Their laughter was cut short by a sudden ringing from both of their phones.

Exchanging curious glances, Sans and Fuku pulled out their respective cell-phones, only to see a rabbit-man with a red face.

"Artie?" Sans and Fuku said together, exchanging curious looks.

"Where are you?" He asked, the screen shaking as though he were trying and failing to keep it steady.

"In the Ruins, near Old Home." Sans said. "What's wrong?"

"Snowdin's under attack!"


	22. Chapter 21 - Heading for Trouble

**Chapter 21**

 **Heading for Trouble**

Sans expected nothing less than full-fledged chaos when he and Fuku arrived on the western side of Snowdin, bringing a newly-awakened Toriel with them. To his relieve (and surprise), everything looked to be undamaged; there were monsters milling about, most either heading toward the Ruins with their families or heading to the Eastern Edge of town.

"I'll be with the children." Toriel said, quickly passing Sans and Fuku with her eyes on the Snowed Inn.

Once she was gone, Fuku commented, "Is it just me, or does she seem strangely calm about this?"

"It's not the first time the Foundation's attacked us, y'know." This came from 3177. Despite his words, Sans noticed that 3177 was walking toward them more quickly than Sans's standard pace. "Glad I was able to catch you two."

"Where's Artie?" Sans asked.

"Helping with the barricades near Waterfall." 3177 said, motioning for them to follow. Heading toward the eastern side of town, he continued, "We're looking at one squad, maybe two who got lucky. Still, a lotta people 'round here learned the hard way not to take even a little insurgent team for granted."

"Probably have their own share of toys." Fuku said, "I mean, if the Warehouse is any indication."

"You mean strange stuff?" 3177 shook his head. "Haven't seen too much of that kinda thing. From what I was able to glean during my little vacation with our SCP friends, I get the impression they're more about locking that kind of stuff away rather than using it. Still, given the stuff I've seen, I'd hate to be wrong about that. The Foundation's found some scary stuff; fortunately, Site 37's all about the Underground."

Sans shook his head. "I thought you said most of the ways were blocked off."

"They are." 3177 said, "Still, you know how it is. Sometimes even a blind monkey can find a banana. No worries; we'll plug the holes once we send the chumps packin'."

The bustle of the rest of Snowdin died considerably the closer they got to the entrance to Waterfall. There were fewer monsters around as well, though Sans noticed many in hiding, no doubt preparing to ambush the Foundation soldiers should they get that far.

Undyne knelt behind a barricade disguised as a snowdrift just outside the entrance to waterfall. She wore her full plate mail sans helmet, which lay beside her as she watched the entrance with one squinted eye.

"Sans." She said without looking around.

"That's me." Sans and 3177 said simultaneously.

Undyne glanced back at them in surprise, only to let out a laugh. "Forgot I have two of you numb-skulls to deal with now." To Sans, she said, "Look, I know this ain't your fight, but-"

"I know, I know." Sans said, not even surprised at that point that she could tell them apart so quickly. "S'okay. I wanna help. I guess you could say I don't have a problem working for scale."

Fuku gave him a light smack on the arm, though Sans could tell she was trying not to smile. 3177, on the other hand, had no trouble laughing despite the glare on Undyne's face.

Shaking her head, Undyne turned her attention to Fuku. "Typically, we've been having the non-fighting monsters take refuge in the ruins when the Foundation jerks make a run at us."

"And?" Fuku said, crossing her arms.

Undyne grinned at her. "Ha! Had a feelin' you were up for a scrap. All right, I'm guessin' you've got the same abilities as your parents, so why dontcha meet up with the Vulkins near Sans's place; heat won't bother you, and they could use some ranged support."

"Right." Fuku paused a moment before giving Sans a kiss. "Be careful, Sans."

"You too." Sans said, giving her a small kiss as well.

As she hurried away from the barricade, Sans realized both 3177 and Undyne were looking at him, both smiling.

Feeling his cheekbones grow warm, Sans said, "All right. So what are we gonna do?"

"We need to know just how many we're dealing with. Alphys picked up five soldiers, but there might be more."

"I'm on it." 3177 said.

Sans nodded as well. "We both are. Two skulls are better than one, right?"

3177 hesitated a moment before nodding. Undyne nodded as well. "All right, you two go on ahead and check it out. If you run into trouble, do what damage you can and get back here."

"Sure thing, Cap'n." 3177 gave Undyne a mocking salute before heading for the entrance to Waterfall.

Sans moved to follow, only for Undyne to grab his shoulder.

"Keep an eye on him." Undyne said, glancing at 3177's back.

"Uh, are you sure you grabbed the right Sans?" Sans said.

Undyne fixed him with a one-eyed glare. "It's not hard to tell you two apart, you know. Just keep an eye on him, okay? Somethin' about him's been different, and I ain't sure I like it."

With that, she let him go. Mystified and more than a little worried, Sans hurried to catch up with 3177.

* * *

Glen burst into Frisk's bedroom, startling Toriel and Sans.

"See, Tori? I told you Glen would-" Sans stopped, no doubt stunned by Glen's appearance. "Whoa, Glen, you look terrible."

"Right back at you, bone-head." Glen said with a chuckle. He was right, of course; her hair was wild, she had smudges of dirt all over her clothes and skin, and her right arm was in a makeshift sling torn from her beloved green and gray-striped shirt. She limped over to the table set up on the far side of the room.

Sans gave Toriel's hand a squeeze and paused a moment to rub the unconscious Frisk's shivering cheek before hurrying over to the Dreamer.

"I hope I set everything up right." Sans said as Glen emptied the contents of her bag onto an empty spot on the table. "Your instructions were a little vague on some points."

"It's cool." Glen said, setting each the ingredients she'd labored to find in a separate bowl. She cracked the ink-black egg first, trying not to remember the horde of screeching gargamells that chased her after her theft. She added a good measure of Faerie dust before juicing the star-shaped paopu fruit and quickly blending the mixture with an egg whisk.

"So," Sans asked. "You got everything."

Glen nodded, both at him and the bluish mist rising from the mixture. She glanced at the spidery writing of the instructions before using a tiny pair of tweezers to pluck three grains of sand from a small vial and add it to a clean bowl. Once the vial of sand from the Deadly Desert was sealed, she used a tea spoon to ladle out some of the brown goopy hen's teeth.

Alchemy wasn't that different from bartending really, Glen thought to herself. She'd taken lessons on both, once assuming a younger identity for seven years just for some classes on potion-making. It had been worth the trouble, though the hook-nosed potions master was a bit of a frump.

Her concentration was momentarily broken by a series of wheezing coughs from Frisk, her tiny lungs laboring to take in air.

"It's okay, sweetie." Toriel said, her lips brushing Frisk's forehead.

Glen nodded and turned her attention to her work. The recipe she'd found in her book was complex, but not beyond her. Still, it felt like hours passed while she carefully measured, mixed, and stirred various bowls of rare materials. It was amazing, really, how things reacted to each other. Who was the first to discover that vampire blood boiled when stirred with the crystalized spike of a durien's tail, given that the two creatures didn't even live on the same planet? Who would've guessed that just a few ounces of the original Coca-Cola formula was enough to completely nullify all the poison in a sendraught's spit gland? Who would've thought that humming certain notes could turn opaque mixtures containing dreamite translucent?

Frisk had two more coughing fits before Glen finally consolidated the contents of the last two bowls into a copper cauldron. After checking the instructions one more time, Glen pulled a tallow-wood wand from its protective case and ran the tip along the rim of the cauldron three times, saying each time she made a full circle, "Sed somnium est vita."

It was then she frowned. Sans noticed immediately, and asked, "What's wrong?"

"I don't know." Glen said, glancing through the list again. "The whole mixture was supposed to glow.

Frisk was coughing again. Glen glanced back and was horrified to see small spatters of blood on the quilt nearest Frisk's mouth. Her tiny frame was wracked with pain, shuddering with each intake of breath.

Seeing Toriel's pleading gaze, Glen turned back to the cauldron. She traced the rim of the cauldron again, repeating the incantation, only for the mixture to remain as it was.

"What am I missing?" Glen said, eyes rushing down the list again. There were so many ingredients, so many instructions, but she was sure she'd one everything. She went over the ingredients she'd gathered, knocking bowls and vials over in her haste.

"Glen!' Toriel cried out. Glen glanced back to see Frisk's eyes roll back in her head. She fell limply against the mattress of the bed, a thin trail of blood falling from the corner of her mouth.

"Goddammit!" Glen said, slamming a fist down on the table, barely noticing the pain as glass fragments of a bowl shattered by her blow cut into her fist. "All of this can't have been for nothing!"

She raised her hand to hit the table again when she saw something that made her freeze. Some of the bowls had spilled their contents on the table top, partially soaking the parchment with the instructions. Between the incantation and the paragraph describing what should happen next were several words.

Glen pressed the paper against the table, soaking in the liquid until she could read the words, "Add three fragments of life's essence. This will trigger the final reaction as described below."

"Life's essence." Glen murmured as Toriel sobbed. "Does it mean crystallic? Maybe bits of a shattered soulstone?"

She felt Sans's hand on her shoulder. "She's not breathin, Glen." Sans said, his voice strangely thick. "Look, we knew this was a long shot."

Glen didn't respond; her eyes had fallen to her now bloody hand. Slowly she raised the hand and held it over the cauldron.

"It couldn't be that simple." Her mind told her even as she watched the first drop fall into the cauldron, then the second. Hope already dying, she watched as a third drop of her blood fell from her hand and hit the surface of the cauldron.

The contents of the cauldron erupted into a brilliant light, causing Glen to stagger back with an arm partially blocking it out. The light seemed to surge outward for a few moments before shrinking inward. It didn't die out, however; a faint light still shone from within the cauldron.

Glen peered inside to see a small vial of rough crystal, no bigger than her hand. Inside was a small amount of glowing liquid. Glen picked it up, and immediately felt a tickling sensation running across her hand as the cuts mended before her eyes.

Glen rushed over to Frisk. Toriel and Sans held hands, hope in both of their eyes.

"All right." Glen said, holding the little girl's head back. "Bottoms up, kid."

She poured the entire vial down Frisk's throat. The effect was immediate; Frisk's body seized, her eyes shooting open and exuding light similar to that of the mixture. Glen felt the hairs on her arms and legs stand on end at the outpouring of energy emanating from the little girl. She drew in a deep breath moments before the light faded.

Glen watched as the little girl took in several deep, healthy breaths before asking, "You okay, kid?"

Frisk looked at Glen slowly, her hand moving to her throat. She swallowed slowly, gave a few experimental coughs, and finally broke into a wide smile. Toriel, unable to contain herself anymore, hugged both Glen and Frisk in her massive arms. She laughed as tears fell down the white fur of her face.

Sans smiled as well. He paused a moment to wipe away a few tears of his own before he said, "Nice work, landlady."

"Thanks." Glen said, "I'm just glad …"

Frisk let out a yelp. Glen and Toriel released her both surprise. She wriggled her shoulders as though trying to scratch an itch she couldn't reach.

"Uh, Frisk?" Glen asked, worried. "Are you okay?"

She continued trying to reach her back before finally pulling off her shirt. The sight of something pushing against her back from the inside made Glen let out a gasp of surprise. Before she could respond further, however, the skin on Frisk's back split open, revealing two rumpled butterfly wings.

"Uh …" Glen said, eyes wide. "That wasn't in the instructions."

She winced as the scene faded around her, taking away Frisk, Sans, Toriel, and the rest of Frisk's bedroom and replacing them with the living room of the cabin on Cauldron Lake. Her mind was still racing when Barbara Jagger reappeared, an intrigued look on her face.

"Faerie dust." Glen blurted out.

"Excuse me?"

The bowl I broke was holding the Faerie dust. When I dripped my blood into the cauldron, she got extra Faerie dust."

"I fail to see your point."

"Well, there's fairy and Faerie; y'know, with an 'ie' instead of a 'y'. Y dust is just magical energy, just like crystallic, but 'ie' dust is literally dust from a Faerie tribe sentient. Wing flakes and the like, the sort of thing that still contains active DNA. It doesn't take much for Faerie DNA to dominate a template species like humanity, and she got an extra big dose."

Jagger's smile faded as Glen continued, "Still, it worked well enough. Besides, she looks adorable with those little wings, doesn't she? Plus she gets another shot at childhood while her body fully adapts."

"And you would consider this a great shame?"

"Well, it was a mistake. A good mistake, mind, but still a mistake." Glen said with a shrug as she rose to her feet.

Barbara was in her face in an instant. "You are toying with me."

Glen opened her mouth and assumed a thoughtful expression for a few moments before nodding. "Yup."

"Which means there's something to hide."

"Well, there is one thing I've always been a bit ashamed of."

This earned Glen a raised eyebrow from Barbara? "And that would be …?"

"Well … you know I have this reputation as a rough and tumble gal, but …"

"Yes?"

"I like wearing silk dresses. Y'know, like Jessica Rabbit. Say, you ever visit Toontown? You'd fit in well with the black and white parts"

Barbara Jagger was not amused. With a flick of her hand, Glen was thrown across the living room, breaking a rocking chair. Glen found herself chuckling despite the pain as she struggled to rise, only to get thrown into one of the kitchen cupboards, then into the railing along the stairwell.

Glen slid painfully down the stairs before coming to rest at Barbara Jagger's feet.

"I gave you a chance." Barbara snarled. "Do you think yourself the first to laugh at the darkness?"

"I dunno." Glen said, ignoring her numerous aches and pains. "Given all the time travel and dimensional shifting, I might've have been. What did I look like back then?"

With an annoyed grunt, Barbara send Glen flying across the room into a bookshelf. Glen hit the floor with a painful thud, a smile on her face despite the pain.

Jagger slowly approached, darkness gathering around her. "You leave me no choice. I will find your darkness, Soleil, and when I do, you will be mine."

"Already … married. Uh-oh." Glen said as the dark tendrils snapped around her arms and legs. "I've seen enough henagh-"

"Enough!" Jagger snapped as an inky tendril effectively gagged Glen. The darkness lifted Glen into the air before turning her to face their avatar.

"Show me your true shame, Dreamer." She whispered, her fingers probing Glen's temples. "Show me your selfishness, your unabated hatred. Show me that part of you that already knows us."


	23. Chapter 22 - Reconnaissance

**Chapter 22**

 **Reconnaissance**

Sans had little experience with human combatants, outside of the one that killed him more times than he could remember. That had been one hell of a fight, but the fact that it had been a mere child didn't really occur to him until he saw the foundation troops. These were humans with a purpose, armed to the teeth and armored to take some serious damage.

At the moment, the soldiers were making a hasty bridge across a waterway, the bridges and bridge flowers having been either destroyed or replanted somewhere else to make traveling over the water just that little bit more difficult. Sans and 3177 watched from a safe distance, occasionally moving tools and supplies when the soldiers weren't looking to slow their efforts.

"More Telekill armor." 3177 murmured. "Still, that just stops us from moving them. Guns aren't a problem … well, for us anyway. Basic magic field could probably repel them, however. Probably pretty determined; good thing that won't come into play unless we're fighting them hand to hand."

"Definitely not a good idea." Sans said. He could feel quite a bit of LOVE coming from the soldiers; they certainly wouldn't hesitate to kill if they had to.

He noticed many of the soldiers wore uniforms bearing the name 'MTF Zeta-9', the meaning of which was lost on him. They carried quite a lot of climbing gear, leading Sans to believe they were used to traversing caverns.

"Right." 3177 said, bones materializing in both hands. "Let's do this."

Sans grabbed 3177 and pulled him back behind cover before any of the soldiers saw him. "Are you nuts?"

"We can't let them get to Snowdin." 3177 said. "Better to take them out now while they aren't expecting it."

"Yeah? And what if they aren't even here to fight?"

"Then they're collecting information to prepare for a fight. These bastards have been pushing us since the barrier fell."

"If they're scouts we could use that to plant false information and screw with their plans."

"We don't even know what their plans are!"

"Exactly!"

3177 stared at Sans a moment longer before letting out a sigh. "Okay, fine. We'll try it your way."

Sans glanced around the corner, his eyes quickly spotting a rock on the soldier's side of the chamber that would be more than big enough to hide him, provided none of them got too curious. Nodding at 3177, he quickly jumped to the spot via shortcut.

"… creepy place like this." Said one of the nearby soldiers in a soft tone.

"I hear ya, man." Said another soldier, patting the first on the shoulder. "Look at the bright side; they could've sent us to SCP 1730."

"Ain't that the truth." The first soldier said. "Still can't believe we lost the whole squad, especially Randall."

The second soldier chuckled. "Yeah, me either. Randall's survived so much shit, I was gettin' worried they'd classify him as an SCP sooner or later. Nah, compared to Site 13, this place is practically paradise."

"All right, you two." Said a third soldier, causing the first two to snap to attention. "Enough jabbering. We've got a mission to do. Eddings?"

"Almost there, sir." Replied a female soldier crouched beside the cavern wall.

Sans peeked out from the rocks as much as he dared to see what the soldier was doing. He watched until she stood and returned to her superior, but she didn't leave anything behind.

"We're ready to move on." She said.

If anything, the soldiers appeared more nervous at this news. None spoke, however, as the team left the cavern, heading away from Snowdin much to Sans's surprise. Careful to wait until they were all facing away from him, Sans slowly stood and looked back to 3177. His other self shrugged before pointing a thumb at the departing soldiers. Sans nodded and followed the group, 3177 soon catching up to him.

The soldiers moved extremely slowly. Sans thought this might be out of fear, but the soldiers didn't appear to be overly agitated. Nervous, yes, but not paranoid to the point that would explain their snail's pace. Even more peculiar was the fact that every time Sans and 3177 slowed down to put more space between them and the soldiers, the soldiers would inevitably slow down a few moments later.

They stopped again, this time on the wooden walkway that led to the settlement in the center of Waterfall. Sans was beginning to share 3177's growing impatience, but still didn't want to attack. Whatever the soldiers were doing was undoubtedly important, otherwise why would they be heading away from Snowdin?

Following on the walkway was tricky, as the old boards were rickety and creaked under all but the lightest step. Sans and 3177 compensated for this by walking beneath the walkway, matching their footsteps to those of the soldiers. The soldiers' heavy boots were more than enough to drown out the light steps of Sans and 3177.

The group stopped again, the female soldier again fiddling with something out of Sans's line of sight before turning to her commander. "Still good."

"All right." The captain said. "Let's press on."

Sans moved to follow the soldiers, only for 3177 to grab his arm. He glanced meaningfully back the way they'd came. Sans shook his head, pointing a thumb in the direction of the departing soldiers. 3177 shook his head as well. Sans wasn't sure how to respond, when he heard the female soldier say, "Sir!"

The boards creaked as the captain walked to the soldier. After a few moments, he said, "Everyone stay put."

They stood there, the guards above and the Sanses beneath, for five, ten, fifteen, as long as thirty minutes without so much as a word any way. Sans didn't dare speak; the cavern was simply too silent for even the softest-spoken words to go unheard from either group.

Remembering his phone, Sans carefully pulled it from his pocket and held down the volume button until the mute symbol appeared on the screen. He quickly tapped out the words, "What now?" before handing it to 3177. 3177 was quick with the reply.

"Think we could use our telekinesis to float out of here?"

"We're just about halfway. Frankly, I don't think I could make it either way."

"We could just kill them."

"Seriously? What is it with you and killing everything?

"What choice do we have? We can't just sit here forever!"

As if to exemplify this point, one of the soldier's radios went off. The soldier quickly turned the volume down, but not before Sans heard the message, "Our attack is underway. Keep an eye on the …"

"Copy that." Came the whispered reply. "We have our objective in sight."

3177 grabbed Sans's phone. "We have to get back!"

"If we start running, they'll be on us in a second."

"They'll be after one of us, you mean."

"What?"

"Get back to Snowdin." As soon as the phone was in 3177's hands, the skeleton took off running toward the other side of waterfall.

"He's moving!" The female soldier said suddenly, making Sans's eyes widen.

The sounds of heavy-booted footfalls soon filled the air as the soldiers gave chase. Sans waited a good minute before peeking over the edge of the walkway. There was no sign of the soldiers.

"That was … odd." Sans said, thinking of the female soldier's reaction. She'd said 'he's' moving. Just what the heck were they doing?

A distant 'pop-pop-pop' sound broke through Sans's thoughts. He shook his head and used his telekinesis to pull himself onto the top of the path before heading back for town.

3177 raced through waterfall, the sounds of the soldiers' footsteps echoing madly around him. He wasn't worried, of course; he simply needed to get some distance from himself. The other Sans was a nice enough fellow, but 3177 wanted some answers that would likely require a more heavy-handed persuasion … and, of course, eliminating most of them in a swift, decisive manner.

The first of the bones slammed through the chest-plate of the first officer. The rest if the group came to an immediate halt, the one with the radio screaming for backup only for another bone fly past him and shatter his communications device.

3177 burst through the walkway, knocking another of the soldiers off balance and into the waters below.

Two of the remaining soldiers raised their guns, only to be blasted into dust by a single Gaster Blaster. As the giant skulls faded, 3177 used a shortcut to appear right in front of the final soldier.

The last soldier turned to run, only for 3177 to catch him with his telekinesis and sent him flying into a large stalactite., smashing off the point before collapsing to the ground. The soldier tried to stand as 3177 slowly approached him, only for 3177 to grip him with his telekinesis and slam him against the nearest wall.

"Nice try." 3177 said, blue eye gleaming. "Thought you'd just come and finish us off, huh? Oh, stop it with the terrified look; I ain't gonna kill you."

3177 paused to wave his other hand absently behind him. A bone materialized in mid-air and slammed into the chest of one of the soldiers who'd climbed out of the water and was now reaching for his weapon. The bone carried the poor soldier across the cavern and pinned him to the stone wall, where he gurgled for a few moments before finally going limp.

"As I was saying," Sans said as though he'd merely paused to check a text on his phone, "I ain't gonna kill you. I need you to take a little message to your superiors. Overseers, site-director, whatever. Tell them-"

3177 was cut off by a burst of static from the last soldier's earpiece. Before the soldier could react, 3177 yanked the device from the man's ear and held it to his skull.

"Zeta-9, do you copy? I repeat, do you copy?" Said a vaguely feminine voice. "What is the status of your mission?"

"Not well, I'd imagine." 3177 said casually, twirling a magic bone between his fingers as the soldier watched with wide eyes.

There was a pause before the woman replied, "Is the target still following you?"

Despite already being a skeleton, 3177 felt a cold feeling rush over him. "The target?"

"Is 3177 still tailing you? Mobile Task Force Upsilon and Yamato are about to begin their assault."

"What?!" 3177 said, making the soldier flinch. Quickly catching himself, 3177 coughed and said, "Sorry, a bit of interference. The other mobile task forces are in position? Where exactly?"

There was another pause before the operator said, "Identify yourself."

3177 crushed the earpiece in his hand before glaring down at the last soldier. "A distraction." He said, sockets narrowing. "You knew we'd come looking at the obvious place, and you knew I wouldn't resist the urge to get a little payback."

"I was only following orders." The soldier whimpered.

3177 stared at the human for a few moments before turning away and walking toward Snowdin. The soldier scrambled to his feet and ran. He didn't make it four feet before the bone slammed into the base of his skull with enough force to shear it off. 3177 started to run as the soldier's head rolled off the platform and fell into the water below.

* * *

Sans heard the gunfire before he reached the final cavern of Waterfall. He quickened his pace, but came to a halt just outside the cavern entrance. There were piles of ash scattered about fallen clothing, sad little gray mounds that made Sans's soul ache. The bodies of a few soldiers lay on the ground, littered with remnants of magic, but from the state of the barricades, it was clear that the Foundation soldiers were strong or plentiful enough to simply roll on through. The only consolation was Sans didn't see Fuku's clothes among those left as a grim reminder of now-dead monsters.

Hearing more gunfire from the western side of town, Sans continued running. As much as he hated the ideas of the other monsters dying, all he could think was 'please be okay, Fuku, please be okay'.

He spotted the first soldiers outside of Grillbys, where they had the barkeep/restaurant owner and his wife contained in some kind of energy bubble. Their flames were already low, likely due to the limited air inside the bubble.

"I hope this is as simple as it seems." Sans murmured before sending a bone flying at the bubble. To his surprise and amazement, it worked; the bone pierced the bubble, shattering it into remnant magical energy. The soldiers turned in surprise, only to find a vengeful Mister and Missus Grillby. Fire lashed outward at the three soldiers, quickly spreading across their armor and weapons as though they'd been doused in gasoline. The soldiers ran in all directions, some attempting to roll in the snow only to find Grillby's flames surprisingly resilient.

Grillby jerked back as something hit his shoulder. Sans spotted the soldier, a sniper hiding on the Snowed Inn. His telekinesis might not work on their armor, but it didn't stop Sans from yanking the sign off Grillby's restaurant and swatting the human off the roof.

"Grillz," Sans said, hurrying over the the fire elementals. "You okay?"

Grillby nodded, looking more bemused than anything as he rubbed the bullet hole. "Not to bright, are these humans?"

"Not the time, dear." Missus Grillby said before turning to Sans. "They came ouf of nowhere. We tried to stop them, but there were so many!"

"Did they capture anyone else?" Sans asked, eyes still searching for possible threats.

Grillby said, "They grabbed as many as they could and hauled them back toward Waterfall. Anyone who put up too much of a fight was executed. The rest of the soldiers headed toward the Ruins."

"What about Fuku?" Sans asked.

The bright points that were Mister and Missus Grillby's eyes went wide. "O-our daughter?"

"Er, sorry, she's from another reality like me."

"But she's here." Missus Grillby insisted. Grillby put his hand on her shoulder, but she ignored it, her eyes on Sans, who nodded. "Then she must have escaped to the Ruins with everybody else."

"Right." Sans said, nodding before hurrying toward the western side of town. Grillby caught his shoulder before he could get far.

"Taking them on would be suicide, Sans." Grillby told him.

"So what should we do?" Sans asked. "Just hang around here and wait for them to go back? Go hide in Waterfall? They haven't exactly left much room for you to spread your flames, Grillby."

"But …" Grillby let out a sigh. "You're going no matter what I say, aren't you?"

"You know me, Grillby; thickest skull in the Underground." Sans said with a chuckle. "Besides, I got a flame of my own. She can take care of herself, but I wouldn't be much of a boyfriend if I didn't help now, would I?"

Mister and Missus Grillby exchanged glances before nodding in unison.

"We're going with you." Grillby said, his wife finishing, "Like you said; there's nowhere else for monsters to go."


	24. Chapter 23 - Acceptance (Is for Suckers)

**Chapter 23**

 **Acceptance (is for Suckers)**

Something bothered Glen the moment she walked through the gates of Ebott. At first, she simply wrote the feeling off as being a natural result of having been gone for over a year, the longest she'd been away from the city in over a century. She hadn't meant to be gone so long, but what started as lending a hand to her friend and his quarian wife ended up with her designing and building a seaside home that was, she had to admit, one of the most gorgeous things she'd ever built. She even managed to get the gardens going, with a few little tweaks of her own. If Tali wanted strawberries, Glen was going to deliver.

Still, even though Rannoch was lovely, it was nice to be back home. Well, the home that wasn't over two-thousand years in the future. Shaking her head, she walked through the streets when she felt it again; a strange feeling that she'd missed something. The town looked the same as ever, with the addition of a few new faces here and there, yet something was definitely different.

It finally hit her as she neared the Cherry House; there was no guard at the gate. Specifically, there was no Papyrus at the gate. The skeleton always had a knack of being there when Glen returned, usually followed by his easy-going brother. This wasn't a huge deal, of course; perhaps Paps finally took a day off. Perhaps he was busy; Paps had been considering expanding the guard when Glen left.

Then where was Sans? It was unusual enough to not run into Papyrus, but Sans always managed to find her before she reached the Cherry house. Oh, he'd be lounging in a tree, or snoozing on a public bench, but when Glen returned, she inevitably found herself met with a smile and a bad pun. Good ol' Sans, Glen thought to herself, smiling. Glen was a friend of their whole family, of course, but Sans was something else: always willing to help with some hare-brained scheme or to give her a hand with one of her inventions. She was something she'd forgotten she didn't have since being thrust back in time; a true buddy. Not the sort who'd keep you out of trouble, but the one who'd be in the cell with you when you woke up after a night drinking, offering to hold the bucket.

The thought made her smile as she walked up the steps to the front door of the Cherry house. Perhaps Toriel and Sans had been blessed with a child of their own. They'd adopted Frisk, but Sans confided in Glen that he and Toriel were trying to give the human … formerly-human child a little brother or sister. Smiling at the prospect of a new little one to spoil (and wondering idly just what a cross between Toriel and Sans would look like), Glen knocked on the door.

There was no answer. Glen tried again, just in case she hadn't been heard, but still received no answer. Now truly worried, Glen tried the handle and found it unlocked. She opened the door, calling out, "Tori? Sans? It's Glen. I'm lettin' myself in."

She stepped inside the living room, her eyes moving first from Toriel's comfortable armchair to Sans's recliner, to the chair she'd made for Frisk with holes for her wings. There was no sign of any of them, not even so much as one of Sans's socks. Toriel kept a clean house, though Sans always managed to leave bits of laundry in the places she never thought to check.

"TORI!" Glen yelled. "Sans! Frisk! Anyone?"

Hearing nothing, Glen rushed through the home, checking every room only to find them all empty. Now truly worried, Glen murmured, "Alphys … if something weird happened, she'll know about it."

Glen hurried to the door handle, only for it to turn just as she reached for the handle. She froze as the door swung open to reveal Toriel and Frisk, both wearing black robes.

"Thank the Creator!" Glen said, relief flooding over her as she gave the surprised Bossun woman a hug. "You had me scared, y'know?"

"Glenda?" Toriel said, her surprised voice sounding a little hoarse, as though she had a cold. "We didn't know you'd be coming."

"Yeah, I'm back for awhile." Glen said, reaching to rustle the little girl's hair only to stop when she saw Frisk's tears. Kneeling down beside her, Glen said, "Hey! What's wrong, Frisk?"

Frisk threw her little arms around Glen and cried in earnest, leaving Glen dumbfounded.

"What's going on?" Glen demanded. "Is someone messing with you and the other monsters again? Where is Sans?"

* * *

"Resonant Magical Degradation." Alphys said, patting Glen's shoulder. She was being surprisingly supportive, considering Glen nearly knocked the front door off its hinges. "I tried everything. I even coordinated with your contacts on Vinta for experimental treatments, but he just kept getting worse and worse.:

"I still can't believe it." Glen said, staring into the depths of her coffee as she sat at the small table in the house Alphys and Undyne shared. "He seemed fine last time I was here. I mean, it was over a year ago, but still …"

Alphys let out a sigh. She sat down across from Glen and, after a moment of silence, said, "He'd been suffering from it for decades, Glen."

Glen stared at her. "Decades? You mean …"

"Even while in the Underground." Alphys finished. "My tests were very thorough. Honestly, it's amazing he lasted so long. I think … I think it was Papyrus that kept him going."

Glen didn't know what to say to that. It made sense, of course. Sans and Papyrus bickered, but ultimately they were brothers.

"But we worked together on the cure for Frisk." Glen said, still shaking her head. "It would've been a pain to make another dose, but if he had just said something-"

"It wouldn't have worked." Alphys said with another sigh. "I tested the residue of the formula; it seems to be formulated for humans, not monsters. I tried everything to keep him going, but he just kept deteriorating. Then, a few days ago, Sans and Papyrus went out to watch the stars like always. Sans … didn't make it."

"Dammit, why didn't he tell me? We were buds, best buds, but buds aren't supposed to keep secrets like this." Glen sighed again. "I just … I don't get it."

In truth, she did. Sans didn't want to worry her. He knew more than most about her, about her long wait to rejoin her wife and her attempts to speed things along.

They sat in silence, both looking at their hands.

"Um … Miss Glen …" Alphys eventually said, blushing. "S-sorry if this is a bad question, but … could you bring him back? I've seen you do things even all this wonderful equipment can't explain. Surely reconstituting a monster would be a piece of-"

"I can't." Glen said flatly.

After a few moments, Glen realized Alphys was still looking at her. Sighing, Glen said, "I could easily reconstitute his body, yeah. I could probably sort out this magical degradation, make it so he's fine, easy. Thing is, his soul's gone beyond the veil. To bring it back I'd … well, I'd have to violate one of the few rules my kind has, and believe me: the Sunset Accord exists for a very good reason."

Alphys continued looking at Glen for a few more moments before sighing sadly one final time. "Then he's really gone."

Glen nodded slowly, yet even as she did, she could feel her mind starting to piece together a plan.

"No!" Glen barked. The illusions vanished, leaving her once again in the cabin. The tendrils of darkness holding her suddenly released, dumping her on the floor like a pile of dirty laundry.

Barbara Jagger stood in front of her, a wicked smile on her face.

"There it is." Jagger whispered softly. "Like a seed of darkness hiding in your soul."

"I don't know what you're talkin' about." Glen said despite the pain throbbing through her head.

"Your friend died while you were messing around across the galaxy. All you had to do was make a call, to see how your friends were doing, and you could've saved him."

"Yeah, well I've lost a lot of friends."

"Oh, no." Jagger said, smile widening. "This one is different, I can feel it. Show me the rest."

Glen opened her mouth, another insult on her tongue, only for a thump from the floor above to make Jagger look up and frown.

"Apparently, Mister Wake is stronger than I expected. I will be back later to finish our conversation."

With that, Barbara Jagger was gone. Glen shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts; digging through what could be called the dark presence's mind was slow work, and left her mind feeling strangely greasy.

The sound of metal pincers clicking made Glen turn. Bubba was back; the little skriever crawled down the chimney and scurried over to Glen.

"Hey there." Glen said with a small wave, still lying on the floor.

Bubba chirped. A moment later, Glen hear Papyrus's voice coming from Bubba's speakers. "Oh, Miss Glen! Just like Sans; resting on the floor. What people have against beds, I'll never know."

"Are you okay, Glen?" Claudia asked.

Glen managed a nod before realizing that Bubba might not have video projection capability. "I'm breathing. Making progress too. Any idea how you're gonna get me outta here?"

"Jinkie and I are throwing something together, but it'll take a little more time. Glen, Artie's here too."

"What?" Glen frowned and pushed herself into a sitting position. "Guess he was touching Fuku or Sans when the rest of us switched."

"Well, whatever happened, he's in the Underground. Apparently, the SCP Foundation's taken root down there in this dimension.

Glen groaned. "Not the SCP Foundation. Those jerks are such a pain."

"Yeah, well they've got the monsters all bottled up in Snowdin."

"Something else to look forward too." Glen said, slowly rising to her feet. "Hopefully Gears and Kondraki are busy poking some anomalous shrub on the other side of the planet right now."

"Any progress on your end?" Claudia asked.

"A little. Seems like there've been several outbreaks of ichor before. From what I can tell, it always centers around a specific person who acts like a kind of catalyst for the whole thing."

"So it's tied to a person?"

"Only at first. Once it gets a mind of its own, the source person just gets engulfed like everything else. I'm still digging for info here, but if things get to hot out where Artie is and you've got my escape ready, yank me outta here."

"Just leave it to us." Claudia paused and added, "Speaking of, how attached are you to both of your arms?"

Glen frowned at Bubba, even though it was unlikely Claudia could see her. "Very funny, Claudia."

She froze at the sound of a door closing upstairs. "She's coming back." Glen whispered, shooing Bubba away. "Get going already!"

Bubba did not need to be told twice. In a matter of moments, the little robot was back up the chimney and out of sight.

Barbara Jagger walked down the stairwell a few moments later, a satisfied smile on her face.

"Ah, Miss Glenda." She said. "I see you're back on your feet."

"More or less." Glen said. "I take it the Mister Wake situation's working out for you?"

"Oh, yes. He's doing quite nicely. Things work so much more smoothly when people cooperate with me."

"Yeah, well … mum always told me I had a stubborn streak."

Barbara let out a small chuckle before approaching Glen. "Shall we continue?"

Glen clenched her eyes shut as the darkness once again probed her thoughts. She opened them again, only to find herself asleep in her workshop, a post-it note stuck to her cheek with sweat.

"Huh?" She murmured, peeling off the sticker. It read, "Ask Sans about Transversive Alternation Drive resonance problems."

She stared at the post-it note for a few moments, guilt flooding her. Sans was gone now; no more big goofy smile, no more bad puns, no more chilling on the back porch, and no more help for her inventions. Three months passed since she'd returned to find her old friend gone, and still the news gave her pause.

People like Sans weren't supposed to die. They were constant fixtures of life, always sitting on a barstool somewhere or popping up behind you with a joke or a drink. Buddies, that's what they were.

Glen was no stranger to death; being functionally immortal, seeing friends grow old and die was inevitable. Perhaps that was why this struck her so hard; the monsters weren't like other species. They could live for ages, hundres of years in some cases. Toriel refused to give her a number (to be fair, Glen wasn't fond of the subject herself), but Asgore mentioned that he'd been around when the barrier first sealed them Underground. That was over a thousand years ago. She thought she'd have more time with Sans, that she might even be godmother to one of their future children.

Even the loss of her smiling skeletal friend was nothing compared to the sight of Papyrus; the lonely skeleton had taken to wearing Sans's old coat and carrying around his brother's ashes everywhere. Glen heard him telling Undyne that he wanted his own ashes to be mixed with Sans's whenever he passed away, so he could be with his brother forever. That alone nearly had Glen in tears. If only there was a way to bring him back …

But there was a way. It wasn't too late; she knew right where his soul was. If only getting it wasn't a clear violation of the Sunset Accord.

But the Sunset Accord was an agreement between the Celestial Plane, the Burning Hells, and the Elsewhere Incorporate. She was a Dreamer, yes, but the Elsewhere Incorporate didn't exist in her reality, did it?

It was a technicality, and she knew it. It wasn't about subverting rules, it was about balance. The forces of heaven and hell were in an eternal deadlock, with neither able to overthrow the other. Her actions could kick of an apocalpyse if she was careless. That could mean countless lives caught up in a pitch battle between the forces of good and evil, all brought about by her reckless interference in the natural order, all to bring back her friend. Could she really be that selfish?

The sound of shattering glass made her look up. Thieves weren't an issue in Ebott, but given the state of her extended family, Glen was not about to take any chances. She quickly snatched Headache from her workbench and pulled them over her arms before heading toward the kitchen.

She slowly pushed open the door, only to find Papyrus kneeling beside a pile of dust and broken glass, a small brush and dustpan in his hands. It didn't take her long to realize what happened.

"Oh!" he said, noticing Glen. "Hello. I'm sorry if we disturbed you."

"Not at all." Glen lied, deactivating Headache's combat system. "Um, everything okay?"

"Oh, Sans just fell down, that's all. He's so clumsy. He's lucky I'm here to take care of him."

"Yeah." Glen said, giving him a small smile. "He is."

She could only watch as Papyrus tipped the remains of Sans into a fresh jar.

"I'm always cleaning up after him." Papyrus said as he carefully brushed as much of the ash into the new jar as he could, taking care to get every single possible grain. "But one of us has to be responsible, and it's always me … it's always …"

Papyrus froze, his eyes on his gloves, now smudged with some of Sans's ashes. The tears came a few moments later.

Glen hurried to the skeleton's side and hugged him tightly, trying to ignore the terrible feeling coiling in the pit of her stomach.

"I'm here, Papyrus." She whispered, "We're all here for you."

He didn't respond; he simply sat there, trembling as tears rolled unheeded down his cheekbones.

The creak of the door made Glen turn. It was Asgore, a look of concern on his face that quickly turned to sorrow at the sight before him.

'Together, Asgore and Glen helped Papyrus to his bedroom. The skeleton allowed himself to be laid down in his hot rod bed.

"I'll stay with him." Asgore said.

"But …" Glen sighed and nodded. As she turned to leave, the guilt stabbed at her again. If she'd only noticed … if Sans had only told her.

She walked slowly back to the kitchen, feeling strangely numb. She stood in the doorway for a few minutes before she realized Papyrus had left Sans and his new jar on the floor. She sat beside it and stared into its depths. There were some glass shards still in it, nothing she wasn't able to filter out and dispose of in a few seconds, leaving her with a jar of Sans. Fortuantely Toriel kept her floors immaculately clean, so there was likely only a little normal dirt in there as well.

Her mind kept flashing from images of Sans smiling at her like he did when he made a bad joke, or played a prank on her to the image of Papyrus staring at his dust-covered gloves, tears in his eyes. She saw Toriel and little Frisk crying, of Alphys looking down and Undyne frustrated at the one enemy she couldn't take on. Every face made Glen's insides twist tighter and tighter until she could scarcely breath.

As her gaze fell to her Headache-clad hands, she realized she'd already made her decision. She just needed to make a few preparations first.

* * *

The SCP Foundation was taking no chances with the Underground. The Overseer Council ordered the Monster issue be dealt with promptly so that Site 37 could be completed and the last inhabitants of the Underground contained. To make this happen, the Foundation sent some of its best task forces to assist in the final push.

This was both helpful and problematic, as some task forces' appearance and reputation proceeded them in unpleasant ways: the cyborg clones of Tau-5, the eerie presence of the Oneiroi of Omicron Rho, the whispered rumors regarding Epsilon-11. Still, the groups didn't have to like each other to function well, and so far, their assault on the Underground had been a success.

Now they stood at the threshold of the Ruins, the final area of the Underground and the last refuge of the monsters. Arguments had been made that no more effort was needed; seal the door from the outside, and the monster threat was gone. Tau-5 wanted to push through and finish the mission for good, but the operatives from Alpha-1 insisted on contacting the Council to confirm their orders.

In the meantime, the comparatively normal members of Zeta-9 (those not assigned to distraction duty, that is) were examining the door to the Ruins. There was no handle, and the thin space between the door and the frame wouldn't accept even the thinnest of crowbars. They couldn't even slide the opti-wand underneath the door to see what lay within. This wasn't a huge problem, as they packed enough c-4 to level a small mountain, and their tests so far showed that even if the door survived, they could likely destroy the rock around its frame.

"Hey."

All conversation went silent as the soldiers as a group turned to the path that led to what remained of Snowdin. Sans stood in the middle of the road, his hands in his pockets.

The initial shock ended quickly; the soldiers quickly raised their weapons at the skeletons, team leaders shouting for him to not move, but also for the soldiers to hold their fire.

"I ain't goin' anywhere." Sans said. "See, I've been to realities where humans and monsters get along, and we get along well. I don't pretend to know the big difference; maybe the folks of Ebott were just scared, maybe some of the monsters didn't behave themselves … maybe you lot are just a bunch of jerks. Frankly, I don't care. It didn't have to come to this; you sticking all of us in cells. Humans imprisoning monsters again instead of listening, and learning to live together."

"Or maybe," Sans said, shaking his head. "I'm just an idiot like that. At this point, I guess it doesn't matter; I'm here now, and I'm gonna make sure this reality turns out better than mine. I want you out of the Underground … all of you, your facility included. If you cannot coexist with us, then at least have the decency to let us live in the Underground undisturbed. You guys got fancy tech; surely, you can put up another barrier."

"It's not that simple." Said one of the closest soldiers, his rifle lowered and an emblem of a red hand gripping a spear or an arrow. "We have our orders."

"You have free will. You have determination." Sans said. "And I'm betting some of you know that what you've been doin' is wrong. See, I've learned something about humans during my travels; some of you are jerks, yeah, but some of you are damn impressive … so impressive that it almost makes it balance out."

Sans let out a chuckle. "You know about LOVE? That's an acronym monsters use, you know; it means 'Level of Violence'. It's basically how willing a guy is to inflict pain on another. You guys and gals, you've got a lot of LOVE. Thing is, even after everything I've been through, I don't. I guess finding love cost me my LOVE, if that makes any sense."

Shaking his head, Sans said, "But we're talkin' now. You gotta know by now that we monsters aren't mindless beasts; we think and feel just like you humans. Ain't that enough for us to at least try and be decent to each other?"

One of the more nervous soldiers accidentally fired a shot; Sans could tell it was an accident from the man's face, visible behind his helmet's visor. It didn't matter; Sans dodged the bullet instantly, prompting other soldiers to fire as well even as the soldier with the red hand emblem shouted, "Hold your fire! Stop firing, goddammit!"

Sans dodged the hail of bullets before finally finding shelter behind a snow-covered stone.

"Right." He muttered as the Gaster Blaster took form above him. "Can't say I didn't try."

* * *

When a soul enters the great beyond, it is brought to a place known as Purgatory. Purgatory is best described as a sort of waiting room, and in fact appears as a large waiting room to those within it. Incoming souls are asked to take a seat and wait while their judgement is being processed. Those unwilling to submit to judgement may opt for oblivion or immediate reincarnation, but must do so before their judgement is pronounced.

Those that are judged 'good' pass into The Outer Halls, where they are sorted into whatever plane of paradise in which they believe. These deemed evil or wicked pass (or, more often than not, are carried forcibly) to Nocturnes, which serves much the same purpose as The Outer Halls, but for the Burning Hells. While Glen wanted to assume Sans would end up somewhere in the Heavenly Planes, the method in which souls are judged is not privy to Dreamers. As such, she had no choice but to start in Purgatory with an idea so stupid, she knew it would work.

Glen approached the reception desk, where two representatives of the cosmic balance were filing their nails. The angel was a stereotype of her kind; fair haired, big white-feathered wings, soft blue eyes, gorgeous (of course), and wearing the standard white robe and halo. Her counterpart was a black-skinned, red-eyed demon wearing a low-cut dress that left little to the imagination and stilleto heels. Glen couldn't help but smirk; everyone had to have equal representation, even in the afterlife. Besides, someone had to be on hand in case the other side made a move.

The demon was the first to notice Glen's approach. Her red eyes took in Glen's form appreciatively. "Mmm. My, you're a strong one, aren't you?"

"Comes with the job." Glen said, setting down the brown package she was carrying. "Delivery."

This made the angel look up as well, her brow furrowed. "Delivery?"

Glen pulled out a clipboard and pretended to read, "Reception desk, Purgatory. Says here it's for a fella named Sans. Some kind of birthday present."

The demon and the angel exchanged curious looks at this. Glen wasn't surprised; Purgatory wasn't the sort of place a standard shipping company would consider a suitable destination.

"Um … I'll check our system." The angel said before turning to her computer. As she laboriously typed at her keypad, the demon gave Glen a smile that set off warning bells in the Dreamer's head.

"Who's the package from, sweetie?"

Glen again focused on the blank paper attached to the clipboard. "Let's see; says a Missus Ding-Mei, first name Kidd."

"Ding-Mei." The demon woman repeated thoughtfully. "Sounds Asian. Maybe a Taoist?"

Glen shrugged. "Don't look at me; I'm just the delivery-woman. Sooner I find where this Sans fella's sittin in your little lobby here, sooner I can get back home."

"Found him!" The Angel said triumphantly, only for her face to fall moments later. "Aww … I'm sorry, Miss …?"

"Glen." Glen said automatically, common sense catching her in time for her to finish, "Er, Glenda Proost."

"I'm sorry, Miss Proost." The angel said sincerely, "But Sans has already entered the Outer Halls."

"Oh." Glen said, picking up the package. "Fair enough; I'll just drop in real quick and see if I can't find him. You mind opening the gates for just a sec?"

"Sure thing." The Angel said, smiling kindly. She barely had time to stand before the demon stopped her.

"Wait just a second." The demon pointed to the clipboard. "Let me see that."

Glen shrugged and handed her the clipboard, inwardly thanking her lucky stars that she'd just made the lines and text appear on the page.

The demon glanced over the list a few moments before handing the clipboard back to Glen. She didn't let go of it however.

"How exactly did you get here?" The demon asked.

"Mirabelle!" The angel said, looking horrified that her friend was being so confrontational. "She's just doing her job."

"Yes, I see the had. Gineritek Industries?"

Glen snapped a salute for show. "No address is out of the way, ma'am."

"Uh-huh. And you just broke through the barriers between the mainstream and Purgatory?"

"Hey, I just drive deliver the things. Shipping handles all that portal crap. It's way above my pay-grade."

"I know the feeling." The angel said with a kind smile, much to Mirabelle's annoyance. "Go on; I'll let them know you're coming."

"No need to bother anyone." Glen said with her most charming smile. "I'll just slip in, find the guy, and be back. I mean, it's not like there are a bunch of skeletons who pass through here, right, Miss …"

"Temperance." The angel said, blushing slightly. Glen had to fight the urge to grimace; that was exactly the sort of name you'd expect from an angel.

"Miss Temperance. Miss Mirabelle." Glen bobbed her head at both of them before heading toward the pearly gates. She could feel the demon's gaze on her back as she walked as calmly as she could manage toward the pearly gates. There was a buzzing sound followed by a loud click, after which the gates parted slightly.

Glen had only just slipped inside when she heard Mirabelle screech, "Kidd Ding-Mei?!"

"Aaaand off we go!" Glen said before running as fast as she could, the package containing the jar with Sans's ashes still tucked under her arm.


	25. Chapter 24 - Rose at Twilight

**Chapter 24**

 **Rose at Twilight**

Glenda ducked in time for the spear of light to fly over her head and into the base of a marble pillar, shattering a good baseball-sized chunk of it into rock dust. She'd done well to get as far as she had without encountering resistance, but as a living person in an aetherial plane, her presence was like a roadside flare. She could mute it to a point, but she knew it was only a matter of time before angels came looking to see what was causing the fuss.

In a way, she was lucky; the first to find her were just seraphim, the basic foot-soldier of the armies of the Heavenly Planes that served as guards in the Outer halls. That didn't mean they were pushovers; the front lines on the war between Heaven and Hell is no place for the weak, and these soldiers saw the brunt of every assault the Burning Hells made on the Heavenly Planes.

On the other hand, seraphim were used to fighting demons and devils, who aimed to kill with every blow. Glen, on the other hand, was a brawler with mechanically augmented strength. She sidestepped another spear before driving one metal fist into the angel's solar plexus. While the angel gasped for breath, Glen grabbed her and tossed her at her companion, knocking him into an ornamental urn.

Glen didn't have time to celebrate, as a spear clipped her right ear. It was more annoying that painful, and Glen responded by firing Headache's grapple at the offending seraphim. She pulled back sharply, yanking the seraphim off his feet and into the waiting fist of Headache.

As the seraphim's body crumpled and fell to the floor, Glen glanced around for any other guards. The fight had been quick, but she knew she needed to move quickly, no matter how well she hid the unconscious bodies of the angels.

She clutched Sans's jar to her chest, using the remnants of Sans' flux present in the ashes to home in on him. The Outer Halls served as a nexus between all the Heavenly Planes, and even though the Creator only knew where Sans was, Glen could tell she was getting closer.

* * *

Some of the soldiers poured into the Ruins, quickly finding cover behind whatever rocks or door fragments they could as Sans's Gaster Blaster let out another burst of light that tore through the stone. Unfortunately for them, Sans quickly took a shortcut behind them and proceeded to throw the soldiers right back out into the Snowdin path. Those wearing armor found themselves pummeled by massive rocks until they too were forced to flee.

Unfortunately, Grillby and his wife were waiting for them. Fire blazed across the snow, setting anything it touched ablaze (save the snow, of course, as it merely melted from the heat). The soldiers shot at the flame elementals, but bullets don't have much effect on living fire; Grillby simply swept through the soldiers like a rogue fireball while his wife shot bursts of flame that somehow ducked and weaved around the soldiers' attempts to dodge. Watching them fight, Sans couldn't help but wonder how the soldiers caught Grillby and his missus in the first place.

Bones hovered around Sans as he flew through the air, dodging so quickly that his feet barely had time to touch down. Whenever he stopped, he sent a wave of the white magical constructs at the soldiers, focusing on the cyborg soldiers, who weren't as effected by the fire. The bones weren't terribly strong, but they were definitely wearing down the soldiers despite their bluntness. Despite everything, Sans did not want to kill outright; simply to drive the soldiers away.

That said, he did not hold back. Between the cyborgs' brute strength and speed, the oneirus who fought with their own variety of dream-based magic, and the soldiers wearing magic-resistant combat armor, Sans couldn't afford to let up. Gritting his teeth, he pushed forward as Mister and Missus Grillby flanked the soldiers.

Unfortunately, the Foundation soldiers were not unused to attacks from the strange and unusual, and were already recovering to mount a counter-attack. Sans soon found himself too busy darting about avoiding gunfire to fight back. Grillby and his wife were forced to pull back as well when the water from the melted snow made it nearly impossible for their flames to catch on anything. Zeta-9 advanced on Sans, forcing him back toward the Ruins door as he flung everything he could at them.

One of the soldiers suddenly fell back, impaled by a blue spear. Sans didn't have to turn around to know the source. "Nice of you to join us, fish-face."

"Right back at ya, bone-head." Undyne said as she leapt over Sans, spears in both hands. The soldier's magical armor may have blocked Sans's magic, but it didn't cover their entire bodies, a fact Undyne took full advantage of as she attacked.

She wasn't alone, either; more monsters hurried past Sans, including the massive frame of Greater Dog, who simply bowled over even the heaviest of soldiers in his path. It was the sight of Fuku, however, that gave Sans the most relief. Fire extending from her hands like flaming swords, she dove at the soldiers closest to Sans.

"All right." Sans said, preparing to join her. "Round two!"

* * *

Glen slammed both fists down on the head of the Throne, knocking him out cold. As the angelic knight fell, she heard a voice call out, "May the light purge you from this holy place!" She had just enough time to hurl herself into the waters of the lake before brilliant bursts of light tore through the air, shredding several trees and a large plinth in the process.

"And they say the Elysian Fields are supposed to be relaxing." Glen muttered as she pulled herself out of the water. Her eyes spotted the source of the trouble immediately, making her groan.

The rank of an angel is all about their wings; low-level angels like the seraphim and cherubim have no wings, with Thrones having a small set of decorative wings. The angel hovering in the air in front of Glen had Two full and functional pairs of wings, both silver with some gold embellishment, and she bore the glowing halo many erroneously associated with angels in general. She was a Virtue, the heavenly equivalent of a Green Beret.

She wasn't the one who fired the light at Glen, however; that came from the many armed man standing beside her. He wore quite a tranquil look on his face for a being who just shot off such a devastating spell.

"A Virtue and a Deva." Glen said, mildly amused. "I was wondering when I'd see some of the big guns."

"Cease your assault, demon!" The Virtue cried before flying at Glen with frightening speed.

Glen barely managed to avoid getting gored on the spear. Undaunted, the angel fought hand-to-hand with the Dreamer, easily matching Headache's strength with her own. All in all, the Virtue was a better fighter. Unfortunately, she too was only used to fighting demons. Demons can by nasty indeed, but strangely do not fight angels using dirty tactics, such as spraying lemon juice in their eyes.

The Virtue let out a cry and swung wildly even as she tried to wipe the juice from her eyes. Glen hurriedly moved to escape, only for the Deva to block her path.

"You are not a demon." He said, his voice infuriatingly pleasant. "Surely there is no wisdom in angering the forces of eternal light."

"Don't have much of a choice." Glen said, eyeing the deva's many arms. "Not unless you're willing to just let me walk out of here with my friend's soul."

"My apologies." The words barely left the Deva's mouth before he was flying forward faster than Glen could react. His fists caught her in the stomach and sent her flying a good fifty feet across the grassy plains of paradice. She tumbled to a halt, feeling no small amount of pain, but also grateful she'd taken care to put Sans's remains in an unbreakable container with a very tight lid.

The Deva slowly approached as Glen slowly rose, clutching her stomach and coughing. "Death is not an ending, my child; simply a new beginning. Would you deny your friend happiness?"

"He's my friend." Glen said, wheezing slightly as she stumbled back. "and I wasn't there when he needed me. Gotta make it right."

"I respect that." The Deva said solemnly. "And I want you to know, I take no pleasure in this."

"Neither do I." Glen swung, her Defiance appearing in her hands in mid-swing as a massive translucent blue hammer. The physical manifestation of her strength of will, the glowing hammer hit the Deva square in the chest, launching him back. Glen didn't stop there; taking aim, she emptied Headache's bola clips, sending the swirling spheres and ropes flying at the Deva to wrap tightly around him and his many arms. He hit the ground looking like he'd had a fight with an army of spiders.

The Virtue was coming at Glen again, however, and the red-rings around her eyes made her look even angrier than ever. Glen took aim and fired a colorful projectile the size of a soft-ball. The ball hit the Virtue dead on, splatting across her chest like a handful of mashed potatoes. Unlike potatoes, however, the 'gunk-ball' simply stuck to her hands when she tried to wipe them off. The more she struggled, the more the gunk spread, leaving her in a colorful, sticky, tangled mess.

Feeling a little sorry, Glen approached the struggling Virtue and said, "It'll wear off in about thirty minutes, so you shouldn't have to, y'know, lose any feathers if you just wait."

"You won't get away with this." The Virtue hissed, still struggling. "Someone will stop you."

"On that note." Without another word, Glen ran (hopefully) toward Sans, hoping she had enough tricks left to get him and get back home.

* * *

The soldiers were in a retreat now, some of the groups even breaking away from the others. This was a bad idea on their part, as this left them vulnerable. Sans, Mister and Missus Grillby, Undyne, and Fuku kept on the main group … at least, what was left of it. Undyne led the assault, her spears flying through the air and any point of weakness she could spot with her eye. There weren't many; the soldiers moved those with magic-resistant armor to the back specifically to block their attacks.

Undyne took a few shots, mostly just glancing bullets to the arms and one that scratched past her chin, giving her another scar Sans knew she'd just brag about later. Sans tried to get her to slow down, but Undyne was in a fevor. He'd never seen her so angry, or so driven … at least, not at the same time.

Some of the soldiers had taken to throwing snowballs at Grillby, his wife, and Fuku. While initially it seemed funny, each snowball hit the fire elementals like a hard punch. Sans quickly moved in front of them, promptly getting a snowball to the face for his efforts.

Fuku pulled him to the ground before he could wipe away the snow. He heard the bullet fly over his head and hit a tree wit j emough force the shatter the bark.

"Careful." She said. "I need you in once piece."

Sans caught the look on Grillby's face. To his credit, however, the flame man shook his head and said, "We'll talk about it later."

The soldiers were trying to dig in to one of the dog knight's patrol sheds. Sans was looking for something big enough to crush the shed when Fuku's phone rang. She pulled it out after taking cover.

"It's Toriel." Fuku said. After a few moments, her eyes went wide. "Sans, some of the soldiers managed to double back; they're heading into the ruins."

"Crap. Undyne!" Sans called out.

"I got this!" She called back. "Get movin' already!"

* * *

Sans lay with his back against a tree that stood near the edge of a cliff that offered the most spectacular view of Ebott one could ask for. While the signs of technology were visible in the far distance, Ebott sat in the middle of its orchards and surrounding forest beside the mountain that earned both the town and the woods their name. The sun offered a pleasant glow as it hung at the edge of the horizon, filling the skies with the most wonderful hues of red, orange, and purple.

Papyrus was probably ranting and raving back at the Cherry House, demanding to know where Sans was slacking off this time. The thought made Sans chuckle; the cliff side and its tree were his secret place, where he could watch the city and the skyline and feel totally relaxed. No one knew about it, save him, which made the sudden appearance of Glen that much more curious. Her shirt had a few tears, her ear was bleeding, and a few ugly bruises were visible on her exposed skin. She's clearly been fighting, though he could only guess with whom.

"Sans?" She said, a smile spreading across her face. "Oh, thank the Creator."

"Heya Glen." Sans said, falling back against the tree. "How'd you find me."

"Flux resonance." She replied, coming to stand beside him. "Though just between you and me, I've been lucky."

"You always are." Sans sighed and closed his eyes. "Tori send you?"

Glen didn't respond for a few moments. "Uh, no, but she's waiting."

"Tell her I'll be there in a few minutes."

"Cute. Listen, we don't have much time-"

"Of course we do." Sans said. "We've got all the time in the world. Come, sit down and enjoy the sunset with me."

Glen snorted. "Thanks, but I'll enjoy the sunset much better once I get you home."

"It's okay." Sans told her. "Tori knows I like it here. She'll understand."

"She understands? Well, yeah, I guess she does, but don't you want to go back to her?"

Sans frowned and sat up again. "Of course I'm gonna go back. You don't think I'm just gonna sleep out here do ya? I'd miss the woman who goat my heart."

He chuckled, but Glen didn't. She just stood over him, looking confused. "Sans … you know where you are, right?'

"Of course. We're in Ebott. Just look down there and you can see it."

Glen glanced over the cliff. "Sans, that's not Ebott."

"What are you talkin' about? Look, there are the orchards."

"Yes, and it looks just like Ebott, but it's not."

"Well, what else could it be?" Sans said with a laugh. "Don't tell me someone snuck here and replaced everything with an exact duplicate."

"Sans, it's …" Glen seemed to struggle with herself for a moment before letting out a sigh. "Sans, Tori's not here. Not yet, anyway."

"Good; I've got plenty of time to get a quick nap in then."

"No, Sans, you don't …" Glen rubbed her forehead, clearly at a loss. "You don't know. You really don't know."

"Know what?"

"You … died."

Sans looked at her for a moment before bursting out laughing.

"Nice try." Sans said, "You still mad about that cayenne pepper pie?"

"The … that was you?" Glen shook her head and said, "We'll bring that up later. Listen, Sans, don't you remember? Magical degenerative … er, something? Alphys told you there was nothing she could do?"

Sans frowned. Something in her words seemed familiar … familiar and unpleasant, like something he tried to forget.

Shaking his head, he said, "All right, very funny. You almost had me going."

"Sans!" Glen glanced over her shoulder, as though expecting trouble. "You and Papyrus went to watch the stars, remember? On top of Skylane hill?"

"Of course. We went there all the time. Every … night …" Sans held a hand to his skull. He remembered climbing the hill, Papyrus urging him on. He remembered how hard it was, taking step after step. He remembered the pain.

Shaking his head, he said, "No, that was just a dream."

"Sans, it happened! You have to believe me!" There was a note of desperation in her voice as she continued, "Tori, Frisk, Papyrus … they still need you."

"I'm … I'm dead." Sans repeated, looking at his hand. "I guess that explains why I'm all bones."

"You're all …" Glen's pained expression quickly turned to exasperation. "You're a skeleton, you numb-skull."

Sans chuckled, but only for a moment. "So I'm … where? Heaven?"

"Pretty much." Glen sighed and sat down beside him. "There are all kinds of heavens, but for most people, it's the place where they are happiest. You chose Ebott; small surprise there."

"I'll be damned. Monsters in heaven." Sans chuckled and shook his head. "And Toriel, Frisk, Papyrus … they'd come here eventually? When they pass on?"

"Well, yeah." Glen said. "I mean, eventually."

"Then I guess I'll just have to wait for them."

"You don't have to. Sans, I can bring you back, reconstitute your body and fix the degeneration. You can have a long, rich life. "

Sans stared out over the city for a long moment before saying, "No."

"What?"

"This isn't right. You once told me yourself that people aren't supposed to come back from death. Besides, it's peaceful here."

Sans tried to close his eyes, only to find himself again climbing the hill, each step smaller than the last as pain coursed through him. He clenched his fists and rubbed his sockets. "Dammit, Glen, why did you make me remember?"

"I … I'm sorry, Sans, but … we need you. Your death, it shouldn't have happened, not when I could've prevented it so easily."

"It's not your fault." Sans said. "You have so much on your mind, I didn't want to burden you. I didn't want to burden anyone."

"You aren't a burden, bone-head! You're special, and your family needs you, and … well, so do I. I never told you about James, did I? My brother? We were close, maybe as close as you and Paps. He was with me when I had to make a big choice, and that was the last time I ever saw him. You remind me of him, Sans; I think that's why we became such good friends. It's why I think of you as my brother, just as much as James. I don't want to lose another brother."

"And you're like the sister I never had." Sans said quietly. "I know Paps feels the same way sometimes."

"It's not just me, though." Glen told him. "What about you and Tori? You've only been together a few years. Weren't yall hoping to have kids at some point? Give Frisk a brother or sister, or hell, maybe both? It can still happen. And what about Papyrus?"

"Paps?" Sans said, looking at Glen. "How … how's he doin'?"

"How's he doing? He's been carrying around your ashes for the past few weeks, taking to them like you were still there. Undyne's been protective of people messing with him, and Toriel and Frisk are nothing but kind and patient, but … it's destroying him, Sans. He wasn't ready for you to be gone, not like this. Since you've been gone, he's become quiet, withdrawn … he doesn't cook or patrol anymore. Sans, if you don't come back, I think he's just going to fade away. He needs you, Sans, maybe more than anyone else, so please …just … give me a chance to make things right."'

Sans stared out over the town of Ebott as it existed in the Heavenly Planes. He could remember every day he'd been there now, each minute a small eternity while he napped away under his tree. He knew that he'd hoped for someone to come, for Papyrus to accuse him of being lazy, for Glen to need help with some contraption, or for Toriel and Frisk to come get him for dinner. Paradise was nice, but it was lonely by himself.

"All right." Sans said, rising to his feet. "Let's go."

* * *

Sans and Fuku fell out of the shortcut running, Fuku leaving a trail of fire behind her as her feet skimmed the ground. They reached the entrance of Toriel's house to find the place in ruins; bullet holes covered the walls, and nearly every piece of furniture was broken. A few soldiers lay dead or unconscious, along with a few more tell-tale piles of ash.

"Do you think Toriel-" Fuku said before the sound of not-too-distant gunfire cut through the air.

Sans and Fuku were out the front door like a shot. It didn't take long to reach the soldiers; they were advancing on a group of children led by Toriel and a few remaining adult monsters in the pillar puzzle room, both sides moving to keep behind the pillars as much as possible.

One of the children tripped while they tried to run. An adult monster moved to help, only to get a shot right in the head; the poor fellow barely had time to cry out before his body turned to dust.

Toriel turned as the child cried out, soldiers grabbing the kid by the arm. Fire burst from the Bossun's fist as she advanced on the soldiers, unaware that another soldier was already taking aim.

Sans dashed forward to stop the soldier, but Fuku got their first. Her flames burned white as they engulfed the soldier, melting his armor and leaving him screaming. The soldiers turned to aim their weapons at her, only to find a barrage of bones followed up with a Gaster Blaster that cut through the top of a pillar.

The soldier nearest Sans tried to hit him with the butt of his rifle, only for Sans to send him flying across the room with a wave of his hand. The soldier smashed into the wall with enough force to fracture the wall before falling to the ground in a heap.

The final soldier backed away from the monsters now advancing on him: Toriel and her group, Fuku, and Sans. Letting out a swear, he pulled something from his belt. Sans realized it was a grenade far too late, but as he opened his mouth to shout, the grenade vanished from the soldier's hand. This confused him as well, but not as much as the abrupt appearance of Artie, now holding a blanket.

"Hold this for a second, would you?" Artie said before throwing the blanket over the soldier. He immediately threw himself behind the nearest pillar, something Sans took as a cue to do the same, grabbing Fuku and Toriel in the process.

The soldier exploded with a strangely muted blast, fire and shrapnel belching from beneath the blanket, which merely fell to the ground a moment later, smudged but otherwise fine.

After a few moments of silence, Sans and Fuku peeked around the pillar to find Archie chuckling as he collected the blanket. Seeing their curious looks, he said, "This quilt belonged to one Misaki Sakamoto, a young woman who was living in Hiroshima at the time the atomic bomb hit. Apparently, her grandmother gave her the quilt as a going-away present. See the kanji? It roughly translates to 'keep safe from harm.'"

"Didn't help him much." Sans commented, pointing at the burnt remains of the soldier."

"Well, I put it on him upside-down." Artie said. "Easier than throwing it over all of you, especially since I only had forty-seven seconds."

"Right." Sans said with a grin. "Nice one, Artie."

"I try."

"All right." Said Fuku, "We'd better get back to Undyne before she bites off more than she can chew."

Sans smirked as he opened the shortcut. "Undyne? Naaaah."

* * *

Getting out of the Heavenly Planes was much easier than sneaking in; again, angels are used to demon incursions, and demons do not turn tail and run; they fight until they are killed and their spirit energy returns to the Burning Hells. Demons don't double back, not if there's more damage they can do.

As such, Glen wasn't anticipating much resistance from the angels as she and Sans rematerialized in the Outer Halls, and she told Sans as much.

"Which is fine by me." Glen said as they hurried along. "I've already caused enough trouble."

"You expecting backlash over this?" Sans asked.

Glen shrugged. "I'll deal with it if it comes. At the moment, they just know someone slipped into heaven, and with any luck slipped right out again. More than likely they'll just chalk it up to some demon. Security'll be crazy for a few days, then things go back to normal."

"Back to normal." Sans repeated, grinning. "Said the skeleton being escorted out of heaven by a Dreamer."

"Let's just say I wouldn't want to have to take on an archangel and leave it at that."

The sound of slow clapping made Glen freeze. She and Sans watched as a devin in a red suit approached them from a nearby hallway, still applauding. He was trying to look human, something that might work on demons and angels, but didn't fool humans and skeletons who knew that humans don't have tails, horns, or red eyes.

"I say," he said, "You've put on quite a show. I'd imagine heads are going to roll … figuratively of course. The big G's quite the softy. Oh, where are my manners? Scratch is the name."

"I'm glad you're enjoying my efforts, Scratch." Glen said warily. She didn't believe knowing a thing's true name gave you power over it, but wasn't about to risk it with a devil.

"Oh, I am. I am enjoying it immensely. Who would've thought a living being neither angel nor devil could get so far into the Heavenly Planes? Why, I see you were even able to retrieve a soul." The devil sidled up to Glen and asked, "I don't suppose I could convince you to sell it."

"Not a chance." Glen said bluntly.

Scratch shrugged, as though he expected no less. "I understand. After all, there's probably nothing I could offer someone who could so readily break through Heaven's defenses. I'll simply wish you a good day then."

Scratch turned and whistled sharply. To Glen's horror a throng of demons poured from the hallways, massing together near the devil.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa." Glen said, addressing Scratch, "What the heck is all this?"

"This is my army." He said pleasantly, eyes glinting. "I'd be a fool not to take advantage of the opening you left for us. Hey, don't feel bad; it's not really your fault, is it? If the angels had any sense, they'd have shored up their defenses. Instead, they've got most of their armies looking for a single intruder, leaving themselves vulnerable. Face it; they deserve to be taken over."

"Taken over? You can just take over the Heavenly Planes?" Sans said incredulously.

"Of course, my bony friend! We've been trying since the universe first came to being!"

Scratch moved to pass Glen, only for her to slam a metal fist into the wall beside her, effectively blocking him.

Scratch looked at her for a few moments before saying, "Careful, friend; you don't want me to get unfriendly."

"You don't belong here." Glen said.

"Neither do you. Strange, isn't it?"

"I'm not letting you upset the balance."

Scratch laughed. "The balance? You sound like my boss. Preseve the order of light and darkness, keep either from gaining traction. That's boring; I want some chaos. Now if you'll excuse me."

"You aren't going to start the apocalypse." Glen said firmly. "Not on my watch."

"On your watch? Isn't that a bit rich, seeing as you've opened the way for us?"

Glen shoved him back. The demons and devils hissed and snickered as Scratch stumbled back, the smile fading from his face.

"All right then." Scratch said, straightening his back. "If you insist upon being a problem, I suppose I have no choice but to deal with you myself."

Glen didn't reply. She could only stare as Scratch's human visage twisted and stretched until it was easily three times her height. Blood red skin sprouted twisted black horns and snarling teeth as Ol' Scratch grew and grew until he towered over the Dreamer.

"Last chance." Scratch rumbled. "Walk away, and enjoy what little time your universe has left before we come calling."

"Or." Glen brought her hand around, her Defiance manifesting again as a massive translucent blue hammer. It slammed into Scratch's chest, hurling him back against the wall.

The assembled demons whooped and laughed as Glen pointed her Defiance at Scratch, motioning for the devil to approach with her other hand.

Roaring, Scratch rushed at her. She took a swing at him, but Scratch was capable of dodging much quicker than his form would indicate. He avoided her swings before backhanding her so hard that she bounced and skidded a good twenty feet down the hall before coming to a halt.

Scratch stomped toward her, massive claws outstretched to tear her to ribbons. Mere inches away, however, she grabbed a handful of the soft red carpet and yanked it toward her, making Scratch fall back. She leapt at him and brought Defiance down with all her might.

Scratch caught the head of the hammer before it could hit him. Moments later, however, the light of the weapon flared even brighter, accompanied with the sound of flesh sizzling. Scratch let the hammer go with a roar, giving Glen a chance to back away.

Sans raised a hand to assist, though nothing happened.

"Sorry, Sans." Glen said as Scratch glared at her. "You need a body for your magic. I have to do this on my own."

Scratch rushed her again. Glen managed to thrust the head of the hammer against the devil's stomach, but got a slash that raked her right arm along the space between Headache and her shoulder plate. Blood dripped from the wound, now partially covered with the tattered green and gray remains of her sleeve as she backed away, Defiance now flickering.

An evil grin crossed Scratch's face. He rushed forward again, this time knocking the hammer from Glen's hands as she tried to swing, sending the dreamite weapon flying only to shatter against the wall.

Scratch grab bed her with one massive clawed hand and slammed her into the wall. Moving his face close to hers, he said, "I'll be taking both your souls now."

"Good luck with that." she managed before Headache's fusion cutters activated. He barely had time to look down before she swiped the blades through the devil's wrists, severing them.

Scratch stumbled back, roaring in pain as Glen fought to catch her breath. The fusion cutters were already dying due to lack of power, leaving Headache as little more than two hunks of metal. Even as she watched, the devil's stumps grew into new claws, now more deadly-looking than ever.

She caught his claws at the wrists. Headache's strength enhancers let her match the devil's strength, though she could feel the power waning. The devil slowly pushed Glen until her back was against the wall. He snarled at her, face only inches away.

"I'll see you suffer for an eternity, girl. You'll beg me for the sweet release of death long before I give you that release."

Glen didn't respond; she could feel it inside her, the power she'd only used once when thirteen stood as One. She reached for it with her mind and soul, willing that power, that light come back and help her now.

Scratch's sneer faded as the first of the cracks appeared on Glen's skin, showing a brilliant light beneath. The cracks spread, and as they did, Glen slowly pushed the devil back. Fear soon entered the demon's eyes as the light of dreams spread across Glen's skin, filling her with its impossible power.

She pushed him back with one hand as her Defiance once again manifested in her other hand.

"Wait." Scratch said as she raised the hammer. "Perhaps we can make a d-"

She brought the hammer down on devil's arm, shattering it as though it were made of glass. She brought it down again as the demon staggered back, taking his other arm.

"No!" Scratch screamed, powerless to stop as Glen approached.

Light coursing down her arm and across her Defiance, She brought the hammer around and smashed it clear through the devil's head. The devil's body went limp as the remnant shards of his head fell to the floor and were still.

The assembled demons and devils all stared at her as she turned to face their majority, her Defiance glowing as brilliantly as what lay beneath the cracks in her skin. She wouldn't be able to keep it up forever, but as long as she had it, she would put it to good use.

"Who's next?" She asked.

* * *

Sans and Fuku found the last of the soldiers outside the Ruins. There only three left; two cyborgs and the man with the red hand emblem on his uniform. The cyborgs seemed to be in charge, as they were the ones holding their rifles to Undyne's head. The head of the Royal Knights had seen better days; she had blood trailing from several bullet wounds on her arms, legs, and even her shoulder, and her face was heavily bruised.

"Ah, good." Said one of the cyborg soldiers. "Now we can finish this."

"Easy there, big guy." Sans said. "No reason to do anything rash."

"You don't want your friend dead. That's good; that means you and the rest of you monsters will stop resisting and submit yourself for containment."

"Blast this freak, Sans." Undyne mumbled through her bruised lip.

The cyborg slammed the butt of her rifle against Undyne's skull, knocking her to the ground.

"Hey!" Sans said, the soldiers immediately aiming at him the moment he stepped forward. "There's no need to do that."

"Then surrender!" The cyborg said. "All of you, right now, or I swear to whatever you freaks believe in, I'll ask the Overseer Council to nuke this place into ash. Lay down Face-down! And any of you even think about running, I'll blast you right after I turn this fish into ash."

Sighing, Sans said, "All right. I'm movin'."

"Sans?" Fuku said, surprised.

"It's okay." Sans knelt down before laying face-first on the snow-covered ground.

"Now you." The cyborg said, pointing the gun at Fuku. "I'm guessing the snow's not an option, so move back into the tunnel and lay down there."

Fuku hesitated a moment before Sans saw her feet walk back to the Ruins.

"Don't run!" The cyborg yelled.

"I get it!" Fuku snapped.

Sans listened as heavy footsteps approached, accompanied with the faint whine of internal motors. He braced himself; sure enough, the soldier kicked his skull. Knowing the blow as coming let him use his telekinesis to soften the blow, but it still left him dazed.

"Sans!"

"Stay on the ground!" shouted the cyborg shouted before Sans felt a hand grab him by the back of his coat and lift him from the ground.

"Time for you freaks to go to your cages." The cyborg said. Sans's vision was swimming, but he could tell that even the other cyborg was a little bothered by her companion's behavior. She touched his shoulder and said, "Enough. We'll bring him to Site-37."

The angry cyborg didn't respond. He just stared at Sans for a long moment, squinting at him until he finally dropped him to the ground.

"Where's the other one?" he demanded, aiming his rifle at Sans.

"Other one what?" Sans asked.

"The other Sans; the one you busted out of Site-37."

Rolling his eyes, Sans said, "Seriously, even you can tell the difference between us?"

The cyborg fired a shot into the ground inches from Sans's foot, making the skeleton jump. "WHERE IS 3177?"

"Right here."

The cyborg turned in time to get completely obliterated by a blast from 3177's Gaster Blaster. The remaining cyborg spun in the direction of the blast, only for a bone to catch her in the throat. The man with the red hand patch was already running at that point. 3177 gave chase, leaving Sans, Fuku, and Undyne alone.

"Well." Sans said before laying back against the ground. "I think I could use a nap."


	26. Chapter 25 - Over the Edge

**Chapter 25**

 **Over the Edge**

The cutter known as the Bazooie was an impressive vessel. Outwardly resembling the pictures of human sailing vessels Asriel saw in his mother's books, the bow was sharpened to a fine point that had no trouble cutting through the thick 'water' of the glass ocean … as long as the sails were full. When the wind was unusually still, the Bazooie was equipped with several radial motors; essentially side-mounted blades that could propel the ship, albeit at a slower pace.

Asriel sat at the back of the ship, his legs hanging through the space between the railing posts. He often sat back there, sometimes alone and other times accompanied by one or more of his friends, for two reasons, the first being that the front of the ship was incredibly noisy. The sound of the water cracking under the bow was nothing short of ear-splitting, which is why the ship's helm was also near the back of the ship, just in front of Captain Naddy's personal cabin.

The other reason was that the sight of the ships 's wake. Almost immediately after the ship passed, the shards of the Glass Ocean melded together again, cracks sealing with astonishing swiftness before returning to the normal, smooth ocean surface. Asriel could swear that there was a brief burst of light whenever the cracks sealed, so slight that he had to squint to see it. Was it magic, something native to the Deep? He didn't know. All he knew was that it was pretty to look at.

Asriel didn't like long trips, especially when there was nothing for him to do. He'd expected a ship as large as the Bazooie to have a crew, and was surprised when Naddy revealed that she controlled the ship herself by means of magic. It was spooky to see her on deck, standing firm at the helm as ropes and riggings moved about as though of their own volition. More than that, however, it meant he had nothing to do but think.

Without distraction, his thoughts went to the time before the Deep. How many years had he existed as Flowey? It was impossible to tell, what with all the resets. It was strange how appealing the ability to reset time sounded until you actually had it. At that point, it's just a matter of time before what seemed like a blessing was in fact a curse.

"ASRIEL!"

Asriel couldn't help but sigh as he heard the approaching footsteps, one set barely more than slight thuds on the wooden boards of the deck, and two set of clinking steps made by small metal paws. His vision was soon obscured by a pair of bright green eyes and a lot of black fur.

"Watcha doin'?" Shye asked, her hands on his ears as she leaned over his head to look at him.

"Same thing as yesterday, Shye." Asriel said, resting his elbows on his knees and letting his head fall in his hands. It made it easier to bear the extra weight. "What are you doing, Shye?"

"Talkin' to you." Asriel felt her weight leave him moments before she sat down beside him. "You've been out here like every day."

"Mrow." Said Mina, quickly climbing to Shye's shoulder to stare at Asriel with her three gray eyes.

"I dunno." Asriel said, "I just feel like being alone."

Shye took a deep breath only to let it out slowly as her legs kicked against the side of the ship. Mina hopped from Shye's shoulder and curled up in a metallic yet fuzzy ball beside her.

After a few minutes, Shye said, "You miss your home and family."

Asriel looked at her. "How did you know?"

"Because I miss mine too. I even miss my brothers and sisters." She stuck out her bottom lip and added, "Except Darryl. He's a butt. And Mary's a tattle-tale. But the rest of them, I miss."

She tilted her head to look at Asriel. "But that doesn't mean I want to go back or anything. I mean, who knows what we'll find when we reach the edge. Hey, you think there will be a jungle?"

"A Jungle?"

"Yeah, with big trees and vines and stuff. Ooh, and an ancient temple! Big stone pyramids and ancient totem poles and trapped vaults filled with treasure. How awesome would that be?"

Shye's enthusiasm was infectious as always, and soon Asriel found the dark cloud over his thoughts departing.

"Maybe not so much the traps." Asriel said with a smile.

Shye stuck her tongue out at him. "Boring! Treasure's only as valuable as how much trouble it is to get! I don't wanna go home and tell Mum and dad that I just walked into an abandoned temple and just walked out again. I wanna be chased by boulders and have to jump over hidden pits!"

She stood on the rail and made a show of walking stealthily along the backside of the ship. When she reached the end, she whirled around and and said with a wide grin. "I wanna escape by the skin of my teeth, with treasure in my pockets and stories to tell. That's the whole point of adventures, right?"

"And where does eating onion rings while the rest of us get thrown in jail stack up on the adventure scale?" Asriel said, grinning at her.

She puffed her cheeks out and glowered at him before dropping down beside him with an audible thump.

Asriel resisted the urge to chuckle, yet as he watched her staring down at the wake of the ship, he couldn't help but think of Chara. He hadn't seen his sister since the Precious Meadows. The Everstar saved her too, he knew that now, but why was she keeping her distance from him? Why not join him and the others?"

Shye met Asriel's gaze, her eyes inquisitive. "Asriel? I know I'm cute, but you shouldn't stare."

"Wha…?" Asriel felt his cheeks burn as he quickly looked away. "Shut up. I was just thinkin' you remind me of someone, that's all."

"Oh? Was she your girlfriend?" Shye tackled Asriel to the deck without warning and started tickling him. Asriel tried to push her off, but he couldn't stop giggling. Shye laughed as well, her eyes shining as she hit every weak spot he had until Asriel was out of breath.

He'd just managed to reverse her hold on him when the sound of more laughter made him pause. He glanced to the apparent source, the open window of the captain's cabin just a few feet behind them.

He tried to stand, only for Shye to flip him back down on the deck. Triumph in her eyes, she opened her mouth to say something when her ears twitched, her no doubt hearing the same laughter. She immediately released Shye, stepping over him and approaching the window. Asriel rose to his feet and followed her. They both had to stand on their tiptoes to peer into the cabin, where they saw Captain Naddy Sylpha, and Bella sitting around a table.

"And that's when Sir Froderick turns to Squiggles and says, 'See? I told you so!'"

Those sitting at the table laughed at this, none louder than Naddy herself. They laughed until Sylpha let out a loud snort. The raccoon-woman put her hands over her mouth, looking very much embarrassed, but Naddy simply laughed, leaned toward her, and said, "I'll take that as a compliment, lass, and one much appreciated."

Sylpha's eyes were locked on Naddy's for a brief (but significant) moment before Naddy let out a laugh and sat back in her chair.

Letting out a polite cough, Bella asked, "So, how much longer until we reach this Edge of yours?"

"Oh, I'd say we have a day or two left." Naddy said, resting her feet on the table and leaning back in her chair.

"I-is it really … y'know … an edge?" Sylpha asked.

"That it is. At least, that's all I can think to call it. You'll see it for yourself soon. Me, I'm always interested in what's beyond."

"Beyond the Edge?" Bella leaned forward, either unaware of uncaring that the tip of her serpentine tail was waving back and forth behind her. "So there's something out there."

Naddy grinned, showing off a full set of pointed teeth. "You'll see."

Shye blew a soft raspberrt as the grown-ups continued talking. Turning away from the window, she said, "I'm bored. Let's go bug Golemite!"

Golemite was currently attending the helm. Well, she was at the helm, holding on to the handles with a firm grip. People actually attending to ship helms tend to be more … awake.

"Yep." Asriel said, chuckling as he looked up at his snoring friend. "Still out like a light. Wish I could sleep like that."

"Yeah, I heard you tossing about last night." Shye said, letting her hand brush over the rigging as she walked along the deck railing toward the stern of the ship. "I used to have nightmares too. Thought the trees of the brass woods would come and steal me away from the house."

Asriel paused to consider the mental image of dozens of clanking metal trees tearing apart a house to get at him. "Yeah, okay, that's pretty scary."

"It was just silly, of course, another of stupid-face Darryl's stories." Glancing back at Asriel, Shye asked, "What are you dreaming about?"

"A flower." Asriel said truthfully.

"What? Like a giant flower?"

"No, just a little yellow one."

Shye snorted. "That's weird. Are you scared of flowers?"

"Just the one." Asriel murmured. He looked up at Golemite's face as she blissfully snored, her hands still holding the ship's course firm. He hadn't told anyone about Flowey's appearances, not even Golemite. He told himself this was because he was sure it was just a hallucination on his part, a remnant of his darker self that would likely never leave. That, ironically, was what he feared; that Flowey was real, and would never be gone.

"Oh my … Azzie! Azzie, come look!"

Asriel was jerked from his thoughts even as Shye jerked him away from Golemite toward the stern. His thoughts were too shaken to understand what she meant until they stopped at the spyglass mounted just in front of the mast, the sounds of cracking glass filling the air as the cutter broke through the Glass Ocean below.

"Look! Look!" Shye said, hopping up and down with excitement.

Puzzled, Asriel did so, only for his jaw to immediately drop. There was a floating island directly ahead of the ship. It was still distant, and mostly obscured by the clouds of the unending twilight surrounding them, but even from there Asriel could tell the island was massive, bigger perhaps even than Nowhere.

On the island was a massive temple of crystal and stone. As he watched in amazement, parapets shifted, twisted, and reformed into entirely new structures. The entire temple was in constant motion, continually changing shape. Massive towers grew to incredible heights before turning into skyway paths and ultimately returning to simple walls. The plants and trees around the structure seemed unaffected, though those ivies growing on the palace seemed equally fluid as the palace itself, spreading quickly to cover the changing structure only for other sections of growth to be cut off without warning.

Most amazing of all was the central tower; while other towers rose and fell, the central tower remained, its center a rotating sphere that appeared to hold other, smaller spheres, like some sort of giant gumball machine. The inner spheres shifted slowly about in an almost meandering, strangely lethargic way, especially when compared to the rapid movement of the rest of the temple.

"Whoa …" Asriel said. "Cool."

"I know, right!" She bumped Asriel lightly out of the way before looking in the spyglass again. "You just know there's gotta be some treasure in there."

Asriel looked down at his chest. He could feel it there, resonating with the shards he already carried. They were pulling him straight to the temple, a sure sign that another shard was there.

"I think I see someone there." Shye said.

"Let me see!" Asriel said. Shye stepped aside, though she squinted into the distance as though still keeping an eye on what lay beyond the lens. "Kinda looks like Golemite."

She was right. The figure appeared to be a golem, resembling Golemite before her accident in the Precious Meadows; bulky, blocky limbs, flaring lights for eyes. There were a few of them he could see, patrolling the walkways as though they knew exactly when and where they were going to form.

"What did I tell you?' She said, jogging Asriel's shoulder and causing him to bump the spyglass lower. He started to complain when his mind made sense of what his eyes were now looking at; a smooth expanse of glass that came to a jagged end, as though some great force had broken it from whatever previously lay beyond. Asriel thought for a moment that the spyglass had dipped so low he was seeing their own stern cutting it, but he quickly realized that the angle was wrong. He was looking ahead of the ship, and as he slowly raised his spyglass, he realized just why Naddy referred to it as 'the Edge'.

"Captain Naddy!" Asriel shouted, running for the captain's quarters. She emerged just as he reached the door, a speculative eyebrow raised above her remaining eye.

"The Ocean." He said, pointing at the stern. "It … it just stops!"

"Oh? Bless my soul, we made it quicker than I thought." Naddy turned back to her cabin and said, "Miss Bella, milady Sylpha, you're gonna wanna see this."

Most of the crew gathered near the front of the ship. The Edge was visible now, the sudden break in the ocean as eerie as ever, especially considering that there seemed to be nothing beyond it. No fragments, no shards, not even evidence of the Skyway.

"By the stars." Bella murmured, "It really does just come to an end."

"Yep." Captain Naddy said, arms behind her head and a smug look on her face. "Most turn tail at the sight of that alone. Yellow-bellied cowards, they are; after all, you see what's beyond the Edge?"

There was a brief pause as Sylpha and Bella took turns with the spyglass, each reacting with awe.

"That's amazing!" Sylpha said. This could mean my hypothesis was correct! There's more to this plane of existance than the Deep!"

"Oh, much more, I'd gather." Bella said, eyes alight. "I've never been much beyond the edge, but I can tell you I've seen other islands further away. Asriel, was it like this near the Precious Meadows?"

"Well, kinda." Asriel admitted, his eyes on the steadily approaching edge, "Um, shouldn't we do something about the Edge?"

Captain Naddy slapped her knee and said, "Too right you are! Come, lad, let's go see yer friend."

Asriel reached Golemite first. He tugged at her sleeve. "Golemite! Golemite, wake up!"

Golemite let out another snore, much to Asriel's horror. Captain Naddy only chuckled.

"Look at that. Sleepin' like a baby while standin' up. Wish I could do that; it'd make sailin' so much easier on these long trips."

Asriel tried prying Golemite's hand from the helm, but it was like moving the fingers of … well, a statue.

"What are we gonna do?" Asriel said as Sylpha, Bella, and Shye joined them.

Captain Naddy stared blankly at him a moment before feigning shock. "Oh! Oh, yer right, lad! Oh, we be in a heap o'trouble now! I'd better put her in full reverse!"

The captain pulled the throttle control for the auxiliary blades, sending them screeching into motion. The ship jerked forward, much to the horror of most of the crew, Asriel included.

"Wrong way!' he said, clutching Golemite's arm. "We gotta go the other way!"

"What's that, lad? We need more power?"

"NO!"

Grinning, the captain pulled the throttle down all the way. The ship crossed the last few meters to the Edge with frightening speed, leaving nothing ahead but twilight sky and the temple. Asriel clung to Golemite's leg with all his might, steeling himself for the plummet to whatever lay at the bottom of the deep, and the sickening sensation that accompanied free-fall.

The feeling never came. It was the Captain's guffaws that eventally made Asriel open his eyes to see that the Bazooie was soaring through the twilight sky as though it were still in the ocean.

There was a thud as Sylpha hit the deck, unconscious. The Captains stopped laughing and hurried to her side.

"Just passed out." The Captain said, lifting Sylpha easily from the deck. "Excitement was a bit too much, I'd wager. Oh well; there's time for her to take a quick nap. Golemite?"

Golemite snapped awake, a slightly confused look on her face. 'Wha…?"

"Yer doin' great for a land-lubber." Naddy said with an approving nod. "Go ahead and start bringing us in … back side, if you please. I'd rather not make to big a show of us bein' there, if ya know what I mean."

"Uh, right." Golemite shook her head and spun the helm.

"I'll prepare supply kits for our expedition." Bella said, her snake-half smoothly propelling her over the deck.

Asriel glowered at his friend one the others were gone. Golemite glanced at him curiously.

"You wake up when she yells." Asriel said, his tone sullen.

"I was asleep?" Golemite replied, sounding legitamitely surprised.

Snorting, Asriel left the now-confused Golemite at the helm.

Asriel and Shye kept a close watch on the moving stone figures as Golemite brought the ship around to what was, if not the back of the temple, at least the side that was facing away from the last bit of the Glass Ocean. The golems of the temple paid them little mind, though whether this was because they hadn't seen the Bazooie or simply didn't care, Asriel didn't know. Captain Naddy finally brought the ship to rest. With a wave of her hand, Naddy sent the anchor ashore to wrap against the thick trunk of a coconut tree.

"Right." She said, turning to the group. "We're here. Ah, Lady Sylpha! Glad you could join us."

"I'm okay." Sylpha said, her cheek fur red. Her embarressment passed, however, as the Captain helped her step from the gangplank to solid grass-covered ground surrounding the temple. Shye was next, followed by a more cautious Bella. Asriel hopped over the small gap, ignoring the small leap his stomach also made when his eyes slipped to the endless twilight sky beneath the island. Part of him expected to feel the island move a little, but it felt as solid as the rocky caverns of the Underground.

"Okay." Sylpha said, pulling a notebook from her pack. "Remember; we aren't here to interfere; just to observe."

Shye rolled her eyes even as Captain Naddy said, "Oh, of course, Lady Sylpha." The fact that she said it without a trace of sarcasm immediately sent warning flags up in Asriel's mind. He'd used … Flowey used a similar tone when trying to prod Frisk into slaughtering the monsters.

Asriel stopped at the memory of Frisk. The friend and sister he'd always wanted, the little girl who gave him so much when he deserved so little. He wondered if she was okay, perhaps enjoying a nice slice of Mom's butterscotch cinnamon pie even as Asriel prepared to dive into the unknown.

"Hey." Golemite prodded Asriel in what she probably thought was a gentle fashion. "You okay? You went all zoned out."

"R-right. Sorry.' Asriel said, shaking his head. "Just thinking."

"Well, keep focused, fuzzy-face." Golemite said, her a face solemn. "I got a funny feelin' 'bout this place."

"Really? Hey, maybe you were from here originally."

Golemite snorted. "I was from da Underground, fluff-brain, not dat yer folks would recognize me now."

"My folks? You knew my parents?"

"They were da king and queen. Of course I knew 'em."

"That's not what I mean." Asriel said. "They knew you? When? Before the War with humanity?"

When there was no response, Asriel glanced back at his friend only to find jungle growth. He stared at the green expanse, his mind not fully grasping the impact for a few moments. When realization hit, he shouted, "Golemite! Golemite, can you hear me?"

No answer was forthcoming, so Asriel turned to call after the group, only to find them well ahead of his position.

"Sylpha! Bella!" He shouted, running toward them. "Golemite's gone! He just-"

Disappeared is what he'd intended to say, but just as his friends were turning at the sound of his shouts, the ground his foot touched fell away. He was immediately swept along a smooth stone tunnel, the walls forming a perfect circle with no convenient bits sticking out for him to catch himself. He slid down what could only be called a stone tube, his claws scratching at the stone in the vain hope he could slow his descent. He was bustled side to side as the tunnel twisted and turned, only for the tunnel to come to an abrupt end, sending him tumbling through the darkness.


	27. Chapter 26 - Gradual Decline

Papyrus, Undyne, and Frisk searched the Cherry house, none more frantic than Papyrus himself.

"I can't believe I was so careless!" The skeleton said, "Sans is such a troublemaker! There's no telling what he'll get up to when I'm not around."

Undyne and Frisk exchanged worried glances at this, as they and those who cared for Papyrus always did when he spoke of Sans as being alive again as opposed to a jar full of dust. Still, neither said a word (which was much easier in Frisk's case) as they looked around for the jar.

The sound of broken glass shot through the house, making all three of the searchers freeze.

"Sans?" Papyrus asked as though he honestly expected an answer. "Sans, is that you?"

"Came from downstairs." Frisk signed to Undyne, who nodded grimly, her glowing spear appearing in her hands.

"I'll check it …" Undyne stopped; Papyrus was already walking down the stairs into the basement. Shaking her head, she hurried after the gaunt skeleton, Frisk flying close on her heels.

Glen's basement was dark when they arrived. It had been like that when they came looking for Sans earlier, which struck them all as unusual; Glen usually left something going, even if she was going out for one of her adventures. To turn everything off implied she didn't think she'd be coming back anytime soon … or that she'd blown another fuse.

"Hey, kid, fly upstairs and check the breaker box." Undyne said, staring resolutely out at the darkness. Once the little girl was gone, Papyrus moved to step forward only for Undyne to hold him back.

"Somethin' broke glass down here." She said in a low tone. "Could be a burgler."

"A ham-burgler, more like it."

Undyne and Papyrus froze, the three eyes between them moving toward the shadow that had spoken.

"Freeze!" Undyne said, aiming her spear at the shadow.

"I am freezing. Kinda happens when you don't have any clothes." The figure said, grasping its shoulders. "AC down here really cuts to the bone, doesn't it?"

A flash of annoyance shot across Papyrus's face, only to instantly change to a look of desparate hope and disbelief. "S-sans? Is that you?"

Undyne sighed. "Papyrus, Sans is dead. I'm really sorry, but there's no way in hell he could be-"

The basement light flickered on, illuminating most of the basement, and rather more importantly, Sans. As he'd said, his clothing was gone, but it was him; the same smile, the same short stature, the same slumped posture.

Undyne's spear clattered to the floor as Papyrus slowly approached Sans. Without a word, Papyrus pulled Sans's coat from his narrow shoulders and wrapped it around his brother before pulling him in for a big hug.

The thump of footsteps echoed down the stairwell, announcing Toriel's arrival. She opened her mouth, presumably to ask what was going on, only to fall silent when her eyes fell on Sans. She covered her mouth with her hands, tears forming in her eyes.

"Hey." Sans said, finally breaking away from Papyrus. "I'm sorry I was out so late, but-"

Toriel swept her husband up in her arms and held him tightly against her chest in a fierce hug. "Oh, Sans." She whispered.

"I know." He said, patting her back. "And I ain't no illusion or trick."

She suddenly held him at arm-length, a worried look in her eyes. "Are you still … I mean, the magical degradation …"

"Gone." Sans said. "I feel great. Guess you're all stuck with me.

There was a gasp from behind Toriel. Frisk had returned, and she wasted no time shooting through the gap between Toriel and Sans and giving her foster father a hug. Toriel pulled them both to her, a big smile on her tear-stained face as Papyrus joined their family hug.

After holding them all tight for a good minute, Toriel released her grip and lowered Sans and Frisk to the ground, but not before giving Sans a kiss on the forehead.

"Then you remember everything?" Undyne asked. "I mean … dying?"

Sans's eyebrow-ridges furrowed slightly. "A bit. The details are a bit fuzzy, but I remember climbing up the hill with Papyrus. When I reached the top he wasn't there. I waited for a while and …" Sans sighed and shook his skull. "Sorry. That's all. Guess whatever's beyond the veil likes its secrets secret."

"But how did you … wait." Undyne looked around the workshop a moment before spotting the familiar green and gray stripes. A massive sharp-toothed grin spread across her face as she approached Glen and said, "Ha! I shoulda known!"

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Glen said, not facing the group. "Now if you'll excuse me, I've got some work to do."

"Oh, come off it!" Undyne said slapping Glen on the shoulder.

Glen let out a small cry of pain before clutching her shoulder with a hand that looked to have had an argument with a cheese grater. Even in the low-light of that corner of the workshop, Everyone could see blood, not just on her hand but splattered across her shirt.

"Glenda!" Toriel said, hurrying toward her.

"I'm fine." Glen said, her voice calm. "I just need a little rest."

Toriel turned Glen's chair around and gasped. Saying she was a mess was putting it lightly; her shirt and shorts were shredded, revealing deep bleeding gashes all across her body. She clutched her right arm to her side, the fingers of the connected hand twisted in odd directions. Clear claw marks could be seen on her face, one of which nearly caught her eye.

"My goodness!" Toriel whispered, gently touching Glen's cheek with her soft paw. "Glenda Adams, you're a mess."

"You should see the other guys." Glen said with a slight grin. "Seriously, Toriel, I'll be fine. Go, be with your family."

"I'm not an idiot, Glenda." Glancing back at Sans, Toriel said, "You helped us. Let me help you."

Glen shook her head. "Probably not an option."

Sans approached her, a questioning look on his skull as he asked, "Why not? You just busted me outta the afterlife."

"Turn around."

Everyone turned to see the two figures now standing at the base of the stairwell. Their white wings were neartly folded behind them, and their beautiful faces wore grave expressions.

Toriel looked back at Glen with a quizzical look. "I don't understand."

"It's complicated." Glen's expression softened. "Sans … could you see everyone out of here?"

"What about you?" Sans asked.

"Got to pay the piper." Glen rose unsteadily to her feet and limped toward the waiting angels, only to find her way suddenly blocked.

"If you want Glen, you'll have to go through me." Papyrus said, his voice once again full of confidence. "Me, the Great Papyrus!"

"Paps …" Glen said. "Don't …"

Undyne stepped in front of Glen as wel, spear again in hand. She leered at the angels. "Hope ya brought an army, bird-brains!"

"You don't have to-"

"Yes, we do." Toriel said, fire swirling around her hands. "That's why we're family."

The angels looked at each other uncertainly for a moment, no doubt as daunted by the show of support as Glen was surprised.

"Enough." Said a commanding voice. The angels stepped aside to reveal an old man with a long white beard wearing a blue robe. He tottered down the steps with the aid of a gnarled oak staff before coming to a halt in front of the angels. He shooed them back a few steps as though trying to startle pigeons that had come to rest on his front lawn.

"Told you to keep an eye on him, not to stalk him, you feather-brains." Chuckling, he patted each angel on the shoulder and added, "Don't worry; I got it from here."

The angels bowed and vanished moments later. Glen put her hand on Toriel's shoulder. Toriel seemed uncertain, but stepped aside after a few moments, allowing Sans to help Glen hobble toward the strange old man.

"Ah, Glenda Teresia Adams." The old man said with a grin. "Had quite a busy day, didn't you?"

"I'm not letting you take him back." Glen said firmly.

"That's fine." The old man said. "Not a problem."

Glen paused, clearly not expecting this response.

Her perplexion must've shown on her face, as the old man laughed. "You were expecting punishment?"

"Kinda, yeah." Glen said.

Chuckling again, the old man looked to the monsters.

"I need to have a word with your friend in private." He raised a hand, probably because Papyrus's jaw was already moving to speak. "Don't worry; I'm not here to pick a fight, nor am I here to reclaim Sans. Glenda and I just have a little official business to deal with just as soon as my daughter gets here."

Glen nodded and turned to Toriel. "Tori, I could really use a cup of tea. Could everyone else go and ... er, help for a few minutes?"

"Glen …"

"I'll be fine." Looking at Papyrus, Sans, Undyne, and Frisk, Glen said, "He gave his word. If he is who I think he is, he's good for it."

"Thank you, Missus Soleil." The old man said with a grin.

Toriel still looked uncertain, but she nodded and led the others out of the room. Undyne was the last to go, her spear still in hand.

"He starts any trouble-" She began.

"I'll call." Glen said.

Nodding Undyne left. Eventually, it was just the old man, Glen, and Sans.

"I'm stayin'." Sans said, crossing his arms. "Seems this is because of me."

"Partially." The old man said. "In truth, this has been coming for a while."

As soon as the words left the old man's mouth, a burst of fire flared from the corner of the room. The fires soon receded, revealing a woman with black-feathered wings and a pair of ivory horns sprouting from her temples.

"Ah, Lucy." The old man said with a grin. "How's my favorite daughter?"

"Busy." She said, her eyes moving to Glen. "This her?"

"Indeed." The old man snapped his fingers. A table appeared along with four chairs, as well as a pair of black track pants, a white shirt, and a pair of pink slippers. The clothes floated to Sans as the old man said, "You've got a good friend there."

"I'd like to keep her, if it's all the same." Sans said, slipping into his clothes before sitting down.

The old man laughed, a jovial sound that seemed to bring light into the darkest corners of the basement. "Not to worry, not to worry. I'm quite impressed with her."

"As am I." Lucy said, crossing her arms. "It's not everyday that a third of my legion is taken out by a single person."

"A third?" Glen said, surprised. "Huh. Felt like more."

"I can see that." Lucy said, eyeing the Dreamer's wounds. "Ol' Scratch isn't gonna forget that fight for a long time, and neither are his chums."

Glen wasn't sure how to respond; Lucy's words seemed dangerous, but she looked more amused than anything.

A gasp left the Dreamer's lips as her wounds healed. She looked at the old man as he clapped his hands together and said, "That's better, isn't it?"

"M-much." Glen stammered. "Thank-"

"No, thank you. Most people would've turned a blind eye, but you realized you created a serious problem and took steps to fix it despite the risk. That demonstrates great character." The old man sighed and continued, "Had we known how powerful you had become, we might've met with you much earlier. We definitely would have if we'd known there are more of you, some of whom will join you."

"The Elsewhere-"

"We already have an agreement with the Elsewhere Incorporate, child." The old man said gently. "I speak of your group."

"I don't have a group." Glen said.

"Not yet." Lucy said, "But you will. And when your group comes to fruition, we want to be sure that the balance will be maintained."

The old man snapped his fingers. A golden sheet of parchment appeared in mid-air, facing Glen, already bearing a number of signatures.

The scene froze in her vew, the celestial beings (and Sans) going suddenly motionless. Cold hands pressed against Glen's shoulders. "What is this?"

"The Sunset Accord." Glen said, suppressing the urge to shudder. "For the sake of the balance that goes beyond simple universes, the Dreamers who have signed this agree not to interfere in the affairs of either the Celestial Plane or the Burning Hells, with the understanding that they will in turn not willingly interfere with our own affairs."

There was a definite sense of puzzlement from the intelligence behind the darkness. "This is the secret you kept hidden? This is the darkness in your soul?"

"When Alan Tryth accidentally set off the series of events that nearly destroyed the balance, he did so unintentionally. A simple act made out of love nearly shattered the balance, and eventually gave birth to the Sunset Accord to prevent future incidents." Glen let out a sigh. "Alan didn't know any better."

"But you did." Jagger whispered, her grip on the Dreamer's shoulders tightening. "You knew what you were doing was dangerous, not just to yourself or your skeleton friend, but to all life in existence. Every reality, every parallel dimension, could've been destroyed because you refused to accept your friend's death."

"Yeah." Glen said, bowing her head. "That's about it."

"Your selfishness could've destroyed everything." There was almost a note of gloating in Barbara Jagger's voice as her fingers continued to dig into Glen's shoulders. "You took it upon yourself to put everything at risk, all because you wanted your friend back. Such selfishness … such recklessness … such disregard for the reality you claim to protect."

The darkness surged behind Glen, tendrils creeping into her thoughts and engulfing her body. It moved to take her just as something fell into the base of the chimney with a loud thunk and an electrical whine that grew more shrill by the second.

Lightning erupted from the tesla grenade as it rolled across the floor, some hitting Glen and causing her to fall to the ground even as the darkness fled from her body. As she lay twitching on the ground, another thunk came from the fireplace. Glen could do nothing but watch the tesla grenade continue to drive the darkness away with arcing blasts as metal pincers crawled over her body and attached something to her impulse harness.

"Glen!" Claudia's voice shouted as the tesla grenade started to die, "Get to the fireplace!"

Still numb from the blast, Glen managed to twitch her way to the long-cold fireplace. The moment her head and shoulders were inside the fireplace, she felt a sharp pull on the rope that pulled her straight up. It was a tight fit, and she was certain she left a few patches of skin behind, but she was soon distracted from her aches and pains when she found herself submerged in water. Cheeks puffed out, she struggled to swim to the distant surface even as she continued to be pulled by the rope.

The darkness faded as she grew nearer the surface. Desperation restoring the parts of her that were stunned, she swam with all her might.

Something caught her ankle. She glanced down to see the cabin, darkness writhing around it like some great Lovecraftian beast hungry for flesh. She fought to reach the surface, surely no more than a few feet away, but the tendril of darkness around her ankle doggedly pulled her back into the depths.

Colors swam in Glen's vision as her lungs screamed for air to no avail, when a burst of light shone from the surface. The sun was climbing over the mountains, its light piercing the dark waters.

The darkness released its grip, allowing Glen to be pulled to the surface. She broke through with a gasp, her mind still in a daze from lack of oxygen. She half-swam, was half-pulled to the shore, where Claudia, Jinks, Agent Sans, and UNDRPapyrus were waiting.

Glen collapsed on the shore of the lake, gasping for breath as the others surrounded her.

"Miss Glen?" Papyrus asked, "Are you all right?"

Glen coughed out a little lake water before giving them a brief nod.

"Did the big bad have what you were looking for?"

A grin spread across Glen's face. She sat up abruptly, startling the others.

"I have a name." She said. "Someone who faced the darkness and won."

"It'll have to wait." Jinks said. "Artie's in trouble. We need to get our people out of the Underground."

Glen rose to her feet unsteadily, ultimately leaning on Papyrus for support. "Right. To the Underground then; I've got an idea how we can get in there. Um … where's our car?"

"Probably back in our dimension." Agent Sans said.

"Artie is totally paying for shipping it back to the Warehouse." Claudia said as she climbed into the old rental car they'd aquired.

They were just about to leave when Agent Sans snapped his fingers. "Say, what about that Wake fella? He gonna be okay?"

Glen swore and glanced back at the lake. "Jagger's got him locked up down there. Even if we could get him, he's still possessed. There's nothing we can do for him right now. Maybe, once we deal with the SCP, we can come back."

Alan stared at the typewriter in front of him, the delirium in his mind thinning to the point where he could regain some degree of rational thought. He didn't see the tesla grenade, he didn't know about Glen and her memories; all he knew was the darkness that clouded his thoughts was gone, driven back by some unknown force. He didn't know why it let him go, but he knew he didn't have much time before it returned.

His jaw set, Alan returned to the story, hoping he had the time and the strength to subvert the darkness's plans. He would escape, he would stop the darkness from being unleashed by the power in his words.

He would save Alice.


	28. Chapter 27 - Picking up the Pieces

**Chapter 27**

 **Picking up the Pieces**

The remaining free monsters of the Underground were for the most part holed up in Toriel's home. The door was back in its proper place and under tight guard, with several scouts in Snowdin keeping an eye out for more Foundation soldiers. Sans was one of those in Snowdin, specifically in Grillby's with Fuku and Artie, as well as an increasingly impatient Undyne.

"Where is that numbskull?" Undyne said, clenching her fists. "He should be back by now."

"Relax." Sans said, currently occupied with drawing on an empty plate with ketchup and mustard. "I'm sure I know what I'm doing."

Undyne glowered at him for a moment before returning her sullen gaze to the door.

Sans glanced at Fuku, who was currently asleep, her head resting on a bundled up fireproof tablecloth. Smiling, he carefully moved a wisp of her flaming hair from her face.

Her eyes opened, the amber orbs staring at Sans.

"Hey." He said. "Have a nice nap?"

"How long was I asleep?"

"About two hours." Sans said.

Fuku sat up and stretched her arms above her head, letting out a yawn in the process. "Feels like longer. I had the strangest dream about your friend Glen."

"You mean the one where she fought her way through the gates of heaven to rescue the me of her universe?"

Fuku's eyes widened. "You … you saw it too?"

Sans nodded. "I'm guessing the link Glen put on us is doing more than just keep us in the same reality."

They contemplated this in silence for a few moments before Sans said, "I'm glad. I think I know now."

"Know what?" Fuku asked.

"Why Glen's been helping me. Us. Why that other me viewed Glen as such a good friend. I've wondered, you know, since she told me what she was. When you live a long time, it's easy to shut yourself off from everyone. Why bother? It's just another day, another year, and even if you do care about someone, one day they'll just be gone. You need other people to stay true to who you are, to keep you connected. Without them, you'd just go nuts."

Fuku squeezed his hand. Sans felt his cheek bones grow warm as he realized she knew he wasn't just talking about Glen. Letting out a soft chuckle, he took his hand in hers and said, "Y'know, I don't even remember how many cycles I went through in my universe anymore."

"Yes you do." She said, smiling kindly at him.

He sighed and nodded. "Yeah."

After a long moment of silence, Sans turned to look at Undyne.

"That reminds me," He said, "I've been meanin' to ask. Where is Frisk?"

"Huh?"

"Frisk. The kid. The human who broke the barrier." Sans said patiently. "She tried to stop the Foundation, yeah?"

Undyne let out a sigh. "Yeah, she did. Tough kid. Probably the only reason so many monsters made it to Snowdin."

"She was captured?" Fuku asked.

Undyne shrugged. "No one knows. After the attack and our retreat, she was just gone. Some think she turned on us, but I think she got captured."

"With the power of all those souls?" Sans said. "I'd be surprised if they could even make a dent."

"Maybe she went to get more help." Fuku suggested.

The door to Grillby's slammed open, revealing a large excited bunny-man.

"Hey, Artie." Sans said as the bunny-man approached his table. "Good news?"

"Very." He propped up his farsnworth against the napkin-holder on the table with the screen facing Sans.

Glen's face smiled at Sans from the screen. "Sup, bonehead?"

"Glen." Sans said with a grin. "We were just talkin' about you."

"Oh? Good things, I hope. Listen, we're on the way to Ebott right now to help."

Sans perked up at this, though Undyne simply scoffed. "Great. More humans."

"Humans, two skeletons, and a Dreamer." Sans corrected. "And Glen's as good as an army. Guess it's time for us to come up with a plan."

"Hmpf. I got a plan." Undyne said.

"A plan where we don't end up as piles of ash." Sans amended.

"What's the point?" Undyne said, glaring at him. "Even if we kick their asses out of the Foundation, we're outnumbered! They'll just come back in force!"

"What if we moved the monsters somewhere else, somewhere where there was no Foundation, at least not as strong as it is here?" Fuku asked.

Glen raised an eyebrow at her. "Got somewhere in mind?"

"Yeah, I do." She said. "The UNDR-Ground."

The room fell silent for a few moments at this suggestion. Sans was the first to break it; putting his hand on Fuku's, he said, "It's a good idea, but one problem; Error's got the fragment."

Glen frowned. "Really? Huh. That's … weird."

"Weird?" Sans asked.

"Well, he's linked to me, just like you, and Fuku. Claudia, Jinks, Artie, Paps and Agent Sans, they came along because they were in contact with one of us when he shifted, but the four of us are anchored together. If he managed to figure out the shard once, you'd think he'd have used it again by now."

"Bringing the four of us somewhere else." Sans said, "Yeah, I was thinkin' the same thing. Maybe he found a way to break loose."

"Or maybe Aesop's robe incapacitated him." Artie said.

"Maybe." Glen said, though she didn't sound convinced.

"Hang on." Fuku said, snapping her fingers. "What about the local Sans?"

"What about him?" Undyne asked.

"Well, wouldn't he have a shard too?"

Sans froze, ketchup-bottle still raised half-way to his mouth. Eventually realizing this and lowering the bottle, Sans said, "Of course! This universe had a Gaster too, so he's probably got his own machine in his workshop."

"Gaster?" Glen asked. "Who is Gaster?"

Ignoring her, Sans said, "I'll go check."

"Don't bother. It broke years ago."

Those not currently projected on a small screen turned to the entrance to see Alphys's entrance. Sans couldn't help but be taken aback; given the close similarity of the other monsters to those of his universe, he expected the local Alphys to be the same as his: white lab-coat, thick glasses, poor posture (though he supposed he was hardly one to talk), and an air of nervousness.

None of that was even close. This Alphys wore an oil-stained sleeveless tank-top and shorts that revealed muscled arms and legs that rivaled even Undyne's physique. Most noteable, however was the heavy leather tool belt around her waist; every loop, pocket, and hole held some type of tool, powered or otherwise. A massive wrench hung at her side like a fighter's sword, gleaming slightly in the light of Grillby's. This wasn't a scientist Alphys; it was a Builder Alphys, and the confidence she exuded as she approached the table made it clear that she wasn't going to be stuttering.

"Your shard broke?" Sans asked.

"Yeah. When the actual rune disappeared, we went ahead and tried turning on the machine anyway. Didn't work, of course, but it was always a long shot. It doesn't matter though, because we don't have to abandon this reality." Alphys said, a defiant gleam in her eye. "We just need to retake the core. We get the core under our control, and I can put up a barrier that'll keep out the humans."

"Put up a barrier?" Undyne said. "Al, we just got the other one down."

"I just finished testing a prototype; by focusing the field to reject biological auras with inherent magical presence, I have essentially created a barrier that will repel humans and mechanized devices, while still allowing us to pass through unharmed." Alphys said, no small amount of pride in her voice. "Even better, I will be able to use the remnant of the old barrier as framework, essentially protecting the entire Underground. We'll still need guards, of course, but the humans won't be able to come in en masse."

Sans, Fuku, and Glen stared at the smug lizard-woman for a few moments. Sans could only guess the others were just as surprised as he was.

Coughing, Alphys said, "But we'll need to move quickly; I've already intercepted messages indicating a retaliatory attempt to quell the remainder of the Underground."

"Maybe that can work in our favor." Glen said, "Okay, it's a long-shot, but I'm gonna make a few calls to see if I can't drum up a little help."

"What kind of help?" Sans asked.

"Oh, just a few groups of interest that aren't terribly fond of the SCP. They may not exist here, but if they do, they might be willing to join in if it means giving the Foundation a hard time. Some might even help with surface relations after everything's said and done, though I'd avoid dealings with the Fifth Church. They can be a bit … intense."

"Uh, right." Sans said, glancing at Fuku, who simply shrugged.

"One way or the other, we'll be there in a few hours. Don't wait for us, though; the longer you wait, the more the Foundation will shore up its defenses. When we get there, we'll do what we can to help." Glen paused for a moment before asking, "You and Fuku holding up okay?"

"Yeah, pretty well." Sans said, flashing a smile at his girlfriend. "Been a long day."

"For you and me both." Glen shook her head and said, "I'll contact you once we're near Site 37. With any luck, we'll have the Underground Safe within a day. Then we can start worrying about getting everyone back where they belong."

"Without the crystal?" Sans said.

"I've got an idea about that."

"I hope it doesn't involve another jaunt into the Heavenly Planes."

Glen's cheeks went red … very red. "Oh … um … You, uh … saw that?"

"We both did." Fuku said. Despite the kindness of her tone, Glen seemed to grow even more flustered.

"Sorry about makin' you go through all of that." She said, "When we meet up, I'll fix it. For now, let's concentrate on stopping the Foundation, okay?"

Glen cut off the communication abruptly. Shaking his head, Artie closed the farnsworth. "She's got Claudia, Jinks, and Sans … Agent Sans with her." He told them. "I wouldn't worry too much about them."

"Good." Undyne said, moving to stand next to Alphys. "Because we've got an attack to plan, and I bet Al's got just the plan in mind."

"You know I do." Alphys said, a sly grin sliding across her face. To the rest of the group, she said, "My spy-bots and scans show that the military force present in Site 37 is actually quite low. Don't misunderstand; there are more of them than us, but after this defeat, it's much closer to even odds between us … and we have magic."

"Won't stop the guys with the special armor." Sans said, "Though frankly, I'm more worried about what else they might be able to bring to the fight."

"You mean other SCPs?" Alphys looked thoughtful. "That gives me an idea. Maybe we-"

The sudden appearance of a large colorful crate cut her off. It didn't flash, or shimmer, or even wait for them to look away; one moment, the table was empty, the next, there was a crate that looked to have been made a target in a paintball war.

After a few moments of silence, Sans said, "Well, let's open it up."

"Wait!" Undyne said, moving to stop him as he grabbed the handles on top of the crate. She wasn't fast enough, however; the top of the crate came off with a loud pop and a flurry of confettie that filled the room. Once the confetti settled, every table in the room was covered with what appeared to be the contents of a toy store, as well as two people. The first was a rather nondescript bald man, and the second was a woman with tattoos of musical notation on her body in one long unending staff. Even as Sans watched, the lines seemed to move about on their own, giving Sans the oddest urge to sing.

Undyne was on her feet in an instant, spear in hand. She approached the bald man, and demanded, "Who are you! How did you get here?"

Sans blinked. One moment, Undyne was threatening the man, the next, the man was replaced with a confused-looking Undyne being confronted by herself.

"Whoa." Fuku said. "That's cool."

"Not just a normal mimicking enchantment." Alphys said, looking over the new Undyne with her visor back over her eyes. "The guy literally changed into her."

Sans cautiously approached the woman and asked, "And who are you, my newest friend?"

Only he didn't ask it; he sang it. Before he and his friends could react, the woman sang in reply, "The Doctor hears your plea, call me Miss Melody, my friends and I are somewhat shy, yet pledge our help to thee."

She held out a sealed envelope, which Sans quickly took before he felt the urge to burst into refrain. The message within was written with an airy and fanciful cursive hand. It read:

* * *

 _To our Fantabulous new friends of the Underground;_

 _On behalf of myself and all the wonderful Misses and Misters of the surface world you oh so recently have rejoined, allow me to welcome you to the surface world. I too lived in darkness for a time, so I know just how wonderful it is to finally breath fresh air and feel that wonderful light of the sun on your skin._

 _Please accept these crates containing an assortment of our fantastic products for your liberation enjoyment. Feel free to try them out with your new friends of the SCP Foundation, with the added assistance of our latest (and highly collectable) Little Misters, Mister Mirror, Mister Spooks, and Miss Melody. You'll no doubt find their peculiarites quite useful._

 _I look forward to your continued patronage and friendship in the days to come._

 _Yours truly on the surface and beyond,_

 _Doctor Wondertainment_

* * *

"Mister Spooks?" Sans asked curiously.

His ketchup container rose in the air, turned upside-down, and wrote, "Hello there." on the floor.

"Huh." Alphys said with a wide grin. "New allies and toys to even the playing field. Glen works works fast. Let's see what we've got here, eh?"


	29. Chapter 28 - The Choreography of Chaos

**Chapter 28**

 **The Choreography of Chaos**

Glen handed Claudia's cellphone to its owner.

"Done?" Claudia asked, slipping the cellphone back into her pocket without taking her eyes from the road.

"That's everyone I can think of." Glen said, pausing a moment before adding, "At least, the ones I trust enough for this."

"So are they coming?' Jinks asked.

Glen shrugged. "Hard to say. Wondertainment sounded like she was onboard, but the others sounded suspicious."

"Can't blame them for caution." Agent Sans said, resting back in his seat with his hands cushioning his head. "You are askin' them to attack the Foundation. Any offensive might expose their entire organization."

"It's just one isolated little Site." Glen said. "It's not like I want them to go after Site Nineteen."

"What's in Nineteen?"

"Trust me, you're better off not knowing."

"So we might not have any backup going in here?" Jinks asked.

"Maybe." Glen said casually. "Won't know until we get there."

Jinks stared at her for a long moment before sighing. "Just once, it'd be nice if the odds weren't against us."

"C'mon, Jinksie." Claudia said, flashing him a grin. "Where'd be the fun in that?"

Glen glanced at Papyrus. "How about you, Paps? You feelin' okay?"

"Certainly, Miss Glen." Papyrus said. "I'm simply trying to think up some cunning puzzles to ensnare and entrap our enemies!"

Glen considered this for a moment before nodding. "Sure. Sounds good. Keep at it."

"So," Claudia asked casually, "What's the plan?"

"Dunno." Glen said with a shrug. "I'll figure it out when we get there."

"Yeah, about that." Claudia said, "We're here."

Glen looked out of the windshield to see the small town of Ebott … or what was left of it. Houses remained obviously empty, and large signs posted around the town claimed a natural gas leak had made the place uninhabitable. Then again, she supposed the SCP bought out the town (or, at worst, removed the inhabitants) to better secure the location while simultaneously eliminating those who witnessed the monsters egress from the Underground. She hoped the norm who reported them had a chance to see his or her decision backfire in their face.

"All right." Glen said, "Now I'm guessing the SCP blocked up the main entrance, and from what Artie told us about the monsters, I'm guessing they've made sure to patch any holes from beneath."

"That's a lot of holes." Agent Sans said. "It took the Warehouse months to find them all."

"So there might still be a few they missed?" Nodding, Glen said, "Worth a check. All right, we'll split up. You guys check on that."

"Oh? And what are you gonna do while we're searching the forest for holes?" Claudia asked curiously.

"What else?" Glen said with a grin. "I'm gonna go knock on the front door."

She pushed open the door and leapt out of the moving car. Claudia, Paps, and Jinks yelled out at once, but Glen's Tek-boots activated almost instantly. She ran alongside the car long enough to flash a grin at Claudia before leaving them all in the dust.

The front door, as it turns out, was covered with a large electric fence with both barbed and razor wire. Several cameras monitored the perimeter closely. The only way through seemed to be a small metal shack that housed a single guard.

Glen deactivated her boots a good distance away before dismissing her Builder's gear for a pair of steel-toe leather boots, fingerless black leather gloves, a large backback, and a flower crown.

The guard at the gate stared at her as one might stare at a purple elephant with wings who appears and asks for spare change.

"Howdy!" She said, letting her natural accent take precedent. "Sorry ta bother you, hun, but I think I'm a bit lost."

"I'd say so." The guard said. "How'd you end up all the way out here? There isn't a town here for miles?"

"Oh, I've always been a bit of a wanderer." She said, giving him what she hoped was a dazzling smile. "Used to drive my ma up the wall; barely out of diapers, and I made it all the way to Louisiana in time for Mardi-Gras. Wild stuff."

"I'll bet." The guard said weakly. "Well, the caverns are off-limits to civilians."

"Oh? And why is that?" Glen asked, stepping back and glancing around the area. "Looks absolutely fascinatin'!"

"Gas leaks." He said automatically. "Ever since the last quake, there have been gas leaks all over the place around here. You're lucky you haven't stumbled across one; most of the town died in their sleep."

"Really? That's just awful!" Glen said. _Guess that answers what they did with the people of Ebott. At least I don't have to feel bad about what I'm about to do to these Foundation jerks._ Out loud, she said, "Well, that's damn shame. And here I thought a beautiful mountain like this would have some beautiful caverns."

"Sorry, ma'am." The guard said.

"That's all right, sweety." She said. "Well, I guess I'd better get a move on. Sorry to take up your time."

She snapped her fingers and pulled a distinctive red bud from her flower crown. She slid the stem into the guard's front pocket. Winking, she said, "Somethin' to remember me by, sweetie."

"T-thank you." The guard said, blushing.

Glen walked away, smiling as she twirled a finger in the air. The guard, smiling to himself, had no way of knowing that the flower Glen removed from her crown was in fact a sleep duster, a wildflower native to the world of Vinta. As such, he didn't notice the flower bud slowly open, releasing a puff of pollen into the air. He was out cold only seconds later.

"Too easy." Glen muttered, changing back into her Builder's gear. There was still the matter of the cameras, but just as she was pondering what to do about it, Headache's inbuilt radio let out a crackle.

"Glenda?" Said the voice of Alphys. "Is that you?"

"Yeah, it's me. I'm just outside the main entrance, trying to think of a way past the cameras."

"Got it." After a few moments, the lights of the cameras went out, only to reactivate a moment later. "There; I set them on a recording loop. Should keep security from noticing until it gets darker out there."

"Awesome." Glen said, checking her rivet clips. "All right, I'm heading in."

Alphys said, "Hang on; what about your allies?"

"No one's here yet." Glen admitted, "But even the more-organized ones need a bit of time to assemble a team. Have you started your attack yet?"

"We're about to." Alphys said. "But if we don't get support from outside, even the toys your friend sent us won't be enough."

Glen thought about it a moment before nodding. "All right. Turn the cameras back on."

"What?"

"Turn 'em back on. We want the SCP divided, and the best way to do that is to make them thing they're being attacked on both sides." Glen raised Headache. "Don't worry; I'll make sure they notice me."

There was a long pause before the camera lights blinked on and off again.

"Good luck, Glen."

"Same to you. See you inside." Glen walked directly into the view of the nearest camera, which immediately pivoted to point directly at her. She gave it a smile and a wave before raising her Headache-covered hand and firing a rivet at the device, shattering it with a single shot.

An alarm immediately went off, its loud claxon making her wince. "Well, here we go.' She said before heading into the cavern.

* * *

The damage caused by Sans and 3177 was considerable; the main passage from Site 37 to the rest of the Underground was complete wrecked, the bulkhead door having been smashed into the corridor in such a way that it had to be cut free in pieces.

Several soldiers watched as the repair crew moved to clear the debris, but they were on the watch for monsters; this is why they didn't open fire when the paper airplanes flew through small openings around the bulkead door. These weren't your typical paper airplanes, however; each was a carefully-folded representation of a World War II biplanes, complete with little paper pilots.

At first, they did nothing but circle around the room, dipping, diving around people and equipment before rising into the air as though propelled by invisible gusts of wind.

"This is Bravo Six of the Gate-watchers." One of the soldiers said into his radio. "We have a situation at the Underground gate."

"Has the bulkhead been removed?" Asked the person on the other side of the radio.

"Not yet." The soldier said, "But we're seeing some odd air-traffic here."

"Air-traffic? What are you talking about?"

"Switching on video camera."

The video footage must've seemed comical at first; a bunch of soldiers grouped together as a small fleet of colorful paper biplanes circled around them. It was a lot less funny when the biplanes swooped over the group and dropped their payloads, tiny origami bombs that exploded with the force of grenades upon contact.

The surviving soldiers opened fire, but it was a quick-thinking member of the construction crew who deserved credit for stopping the assault by modifying his fusion cutter on the fly into a flame thrower. Soon, the entire fleet was nothing more than floating ash.

That's when the second fleet arrived. Folded into the shape of harrier jets, these planes fired paper missiles that dealt with the last of the soldiers. The man with the makeshift flamethrower managed to get a few of them, but a missile to his fuel tank ended his counterassault and took most of him with it.

Those workers and soldiers remaining saw the bulkhead tear free with a loud screech, revealing a giant beast shaped entirely from bright red, blue, and yellow clay, similar to what a tyrannosaurus might look like if it had arms as big as its legs. Bullets did nothing to the beast as it slowly stomped through the entryway, roaring once before sweeping its tail across the passage, taking out most of the remaining humans and machinery.

"Whoa there!" Sans said from atop the clay beast's back. "Easy boy, time for phase two."

Sans grapped a spindle of wire and leapt off the clay beast. The wire wrapped around the beast's body cut it neatly into eight separate sections, each quickly forming itself into a miniature verson of the original beast. These took off through the corridors of the facility, chasing after anyone and anything they could find.

Undyne let out a whoop as the monsters quickly moved through the remains of the corridor, binding the surviving foundation personel. Toriel and her team moved among the captured and healed their wounds; Undyne was inclined to argue about this during the planning stages of the attack, but Toriel was ultimately the boss. Once healed, the humans found their wrists and ankles bound by Doctor Wondertainment's Super Sticky putty.

"Okay." Sans said, gathering near Fuku, Undyne, Artie, Alphys, Miss Melody, and Mister Mirror, currently also looking like Alphys. "Time for phase two."

"Right.' Alphys said. "Spooks? You still with us?"

Something rapped sharply against a nearby twisted metal fragment.

"All right." Sans said, "Then we'll see everyone at the core. Oh, and before I forget … good luck, everybody. Ketchup's on me when we win. Toriel? You good here?"

"We'll be fine." The Queen said. "Go, save our people, save my husband … and if you find her, please, save Frisk."

Sans nodded. "You got it. Well, you heard the lady; let's go!"

* * *

Glen fumbled along the walls of the cavern. She'd expected to find it much like her own reality, and was surprised when her advance was halted by a solid stone wall. Still, it didn't take much imagination to realize that the entrance was likely hidden.

Her suspicions were confirmed as the metal fingers of Headache found a small section of rock that shifted at her touch.

"A-ha!" She said before pushing it into the rock-face. Sure enough, moments later a large split appeared in the rock wall. The split opened, revealing the metal face of a security door.

"Right then." Glen said, activating Headache's fusion blades. She slowly cut a wide circle in the door, the fusion blades melting the metal like a warm knife melted butter. Grinning, she raised a single Tek-boot and slammed it in the center of the circle she'd just cut. The augmented stomp sent the disc of metal flying down the corridor, where it slammed into two SCP soldiers who hadn't had the presence of mind to take cover.

The remaining guards opened fire, but Glen was already gone. She appeared behind the two soldiers nearest her, smacking their heads together with an audible clunk.

The remaining guards turned to face her as their two compatriots collapsed, unconscious, to the floor. Glen clucked her tongue at them. "Really? Just eight soldiers? I thought you Foundation types were smarter than that."

The remaining four guards opened fire, only to find their target suddenly gone.

"Yoo-hoo!" Glen said from down the corridor. "Looking for me?"

The soldiers raised their weapons and opened fire. Glen laughed as a small shower of nerf darts bounced harmlessly off her. The soldiers looked down in surprise to see their weapons now bore the distinctive blues, yellows, and oranges of the popular toy brand.

"My turn." Glen said, raising Headache. Her shots came quickly, her airm perfect; two bolts caught each guard right at the collar, carried them through the air, and pinned them to one of the walls. They struggled to escape, only for Glen to approach and carefully bolt the leg and arm plates of their armor to the wall as well, making it impossible for them to move.

Hearing a click behind her, she spun with Headache at the ready only to find herself facing a group of young people who looked to have escaped from a local college. They wielded paintball guns, sprayers, and even a heavily modified nerf gun, much to Glen's delight. The leader, a spikey-haired young lady with colorful ivy tattoos spreading across most of her visible body, gave Glen a calculating glance.

"Glad to see someone else thinks this place needs redecorating." She said. "You the one who set up this party?"

"That's me." Glen said. "Call me Glen."

"Savannah." She replied, giving Glen a nod. "Are We Cool Yet."

Glen nodded. "Anyone who knows the tactical usefulness of a nerf gun is cool with me."

"No. we're from the ground, 'Are We Cool Yet?'. We heard you want to spread a little love to our oppressed brothers and sisters of the Underground, and …" She stopped as the Site alarm sounded.

"Attention!" said the operator over the loudspeaker. "Site 37 is under attack. Intruders detected at both the main entrance and the entrance to Waferfall. All combat-trained personnel are to report to their supervisors for deployment. Emergency Bulkheads will be deployed."

"Crap." Glen said as a heavy metal bulkhead lowered over the passage to the surface and the path further into the facility. "I hoped we'd have more people here before the SCP twerps started panicking." Glancing at the group, she shrugged and said, "You ready to spread a little mayhem?"

The answering shout filled the room, making Glen smile.

"All right.' Glen said, reactivating her fusion cutters. "I'll get the door."

* * *

Getting monsters out of their containment cells turned out to be more difficult than Sans anticipated. Many of those in isolated containers were not psychologically stable. Some even bore signs of torture, and a few cells were forced open to reveal nothing more than dust. Sans shook his head at these before moving on. Still, there were plenty of monsters who were more than glad to spend their first free moments in a long time helping those less fortunate.

SCP soldiers attempted to ambush them several times, only to find themselves pinned to the wall by a sudden deluge of bones, or incapacitated by a blast from Artie's Tesla gun. Some of the healthier freed monsters joined the offensive, forming small groups along the path back to Toriel's position and preventing the Foundation soldiers from flanking or slipping behind Sans and his team.

"It's been fifteen minutes." Artie said as he helped a man with an oyster head out of his restraints.

"Right." Sans activated his radio and said, "Goatmomma, this is Smiley-Bones. Come in, over?"

There was a soft giggle before Toriel replied, "We read you loud and clear, Smiley Bones. We've received some of your rescued monsters. Has there been any sign of Asgore or Frisk?"

"None yet." Sans said. "But there's still plenty of base left to check. Any word from Fish-Face?"

"That's Scale-Scourge, you bone-head!" Undyne's voice shouted through the radio.

"Oh, right. Right. I keep getting those mixed up." Sans said, winking at Fuku, who giggled.

"We met a lotta resistance, but nothin' we couldn't handle. Gotta say, I thought it'd be harder than this."

"Me too." Sans said, frowning. Monsters should've had a natural disadvantage against humans, whose strength of soul gave them a definite edge. Despite this, the monsters seemed to be meeting them on even-ground, surpassing them even. He hoped whatever luck was helping them would hold out. "Disco Inferno?"

"We've disabled the communication systems," Grillby replied, "and are heading to network control, no problems so far."

"Good. All right, check-in in another fifteen. Smiley-Bones, out."

As the last of the imprisoned monsters in the cell departed for the Underground, Fuku asked, "Sans, what about 3177?"

"Yeah, I've been wonderin' about him too." Sans said. "With any luck, he's out there fightin' too. C'mon; we need to get moving."

They burst through the next cell to find it was another with a single occupant. It was a shock, however, to find that occupant was none other than Fuku, held in a glass tube in the center of the chamber.

"Oh my god!" Fuku said, rushing to the glass container. Her other self, her flame a bright pink to Fell Fuku's light blue, lay huddled in the bottom of the tube, her flame barely flickering.

Artie rushed to the control panel. "They've got her on minimum oxygen. She's alive, but her vitals are weak."

"Get her out!" Fuku said, kneeling by the edge of the tube. "Fuku! It's gonna be all right!"

Pink Fuku looked at her, barely able to raise her head. She weakly pressed her hand against the glass near where Fuku's hand rested.

"Mom …" She whispered. "Dad …"

"They're okay." Fuku said. "They're out there right now, helping us free the rest of the Underground."

The pink Fuku smiled before her hand and head dropped.

"Artie!" Fuku shouted.

"Almost there." Artie said. "Just another- there!"

The tube slid into the ceiling. The pink fire of the other Fuku grew brighter with exposure to more oxygen, though she was noticably dimmer than FellFuku.

"We should bring her back." Fuku said, picking up her other self, their flames combining into purple where they touched.

"What about the Core?" Artie said.

"The path behind us should still be clear. I can bring her back on my own." Fuku said. "And catch up with you. Given how slow you two run, I'll be back in no time."

Chuckling, Sans said, "All right. Just be careful, okay?"

They shared a brief kiss before Fuku hurried out of the chamber.

"You okay, Artie?" Sans asked, seeing Artie wiping his sweat-covered brow. "Things getting to hare-y for you?"

Artie opened his mouth to reply when a scream from the hallway made Sans freeze in place. He quickly regained himself and ran out of the containment room. Fuku was down the corridor, the local Fuku still in her arms. As Sans drew nearer, he saw the source of her cry; 3177 was walking down the corridor, one arm pressed to the wall for support. The other arm was gone, as was the sleeve of his coat, ripped away. All that remained was a short length of bone, burned at the broken end.

Sans caught 3177 before he could fall to the ground. "Whoa! What the heck happened to you?"

"Looks like I got dis-armed." 3177 said with a slight grin.

"By who?" Sans asked.

"I did it." 3177 said. "Better than … the alternative."

3177 laughed again, but this time his laughter turned into a sob. "Papyrus … Papyrus …"

"What about Papyrus?" Sans asked, trying to ignore the unease slowly spreading through his bones.

3177 shook his head. "I'm sorry, Paps.""

Sans frowned, then frowned even deeper at the unusual sensation it brought. "Well … don't worry. Artie, can you help him back to Toriel? See if there's anything she can do for him? Probably best if you and Fuku go together any-"

3177 lunged at Sans, pinning him to the wall with a single hand. His eye glowed blue as he said, "Don't touch him! You can't … you …"

The strength seemed to go out of 3177. Sans caught his other self before he fell to the floor. Artie hurried forward and relieved him of the skeleton.

"We'll get them to safety." Artie said.

"Sans," Fuku said, still supporting the other Fuku. "You shouldn't go on by yourself."

"Don't worry." He said, "I'll wait for you right here."

She gave him a knowing look. "Really?"

"Absolutely." He paused and added, "I mean, well, I'll poke around the nearby corridors a little, see if we missed anyone in the nearby rooms, but I won't go rushing further in without you, I promise."

Fuku still didn't look happy, but she gave Sans a quick nod before she and Artie hurried down the corridor toward Toriel's group, wounded in tow. Sans waited a few moments before activating his radio.

"Disco Inferno, this is SmileyBones. Good news; your daughter's alive and on her way to Goatmom."

There was a pause before Grillby asked, "Is she hurt? Did they injure her?"

"She's a bit weak; looks like they were cuttin' off her oxygen to keep her flames down, but she's already lookin' better."

"Thank the Maker." Grillby said. "And thank you, Sans."

"Hey, just part of the …" Sans stopped at the sight of something strange crawling down the corridor. "Hang on; I gotta check on somethin'."

Sans walked down the corridor toward a complex collection of gears and clockwork that ended in something that looked like a metal hand. It was the hand that propelled the arm forward, each metal finger scraping across the floor of the corridor.

It wasn't the hand itself that bothered Sans, nor the fact that it was moving without an apparent body. No, what bothered Sans was the blue coat sleeve partially covering the arm.

He moved closer to the strange arm, morbidly fascinated. The coat sleeve was a match for his own coat, though Sans had guessed that much already. Obviously, this was 3177's arm. Sans realized the poor bastard must've had to use his magic to blast it off before whatever converted it reached him.

Just as he was wondering what could've converted bone to clockwork, he heard a familiar voice ask, "Sans? Is … that … you?"

Sans's gaze rose as something stepped out of one of the rooms just a short way down the corridor. Something still wearing red gauntlets and boots and a somewhat tattered red scarf.

"Oh no." Sans murmured the collection of gears, springs, and pistons that had once been Papyrus approached him.


	30. Chapter 29 - Clockwork Knight

**Chapter 29**

 **Clockwork Knight**

"What the hell?" Sans said, backing away. "Papyrus?"

"Ah! Hello there." Said the clockwork Papyrus, his speech disjointed, as though he had to think for a moment on every word. "You are well. I was afraid they had injured you."

"Injured me?" Sans realized he could see the bodies of SCP soldiers lying in the corridor behind Papyrus. Their bodies twitched, the same strange metal clockwork slowly spreading over their exposed skin.

"Papyrus, bro …" Sans said, looking over the alternate version of his brother. "What happened to you?"

"I'm not sure." Papyrus said, his metal face twisting into a look of puzzlement. "They told me they had a puzzle for me to solve. They brought me to a room, and there was a cat … a cat made of clockwork! It wagged its tail and meowed at me. It was so cute! I pet the cat and …"

Papyrus's skull became strained. "It hurt … it felt like all my bones were grinding at once. I remember the people in the lab coats saying it was happening much more quickly that usual."

"Bastards." Sans said, looking over Papyrus.

"Now, now, Sans." Papyrus said. "You know better than to use language like that. We need to work together with humans if we're going to ever reach the surface."

A screech of metal made Sans look down. His other self's arm was only inches away. 3177's last words shot through his mind, "Don't touch him!"

He backed away from the arm while using his telekinesis to toss the arm away from him.

Paps stared at Sans for a moment before moving toward the arm.

"This … this is from your coat." Papyrus said, picking up the arm. "And your arm … Either you keep a spare arm for emergencies, or you aren't Sans?"

"It's a long story." Sans said.

"You are the other Sans." Papyrus said, metal eye-sockets narrowing. "The one who is causing trouble between the humans and the monsters. Site Director Murdoc told me about you."

"I'm causing trouble? I'm not the one who threw most of us in cages." Sans said, "I'm here to help."

Papyrus drew himself up. "Aha! Lies! They told me about you, Not-Sans! You want to keep us trapped Underground, despite everything these nice Foundation people have done to help integrate us with the surface."

"Integrate?" Sans said, not bothering to hide his disbelief. "They've locked half of us in cages! They've been experimenting on us! Dammit, Papyrus, look at yourself!"

"It was an accident." Papyrus said, though Sans noted just a slight look of distraction in his metal face as Papyrus's gaze fell on the metal arm in his grasp. "Wait … if this is Sans's arm then … he is injured. He's been hurt!"

"We're getting him help." Sans said, backing away even as Papyrus advanced on him, 3177's arm still in his grasp.

"You … you did this!"

"No, Paps, I didn't …"

Sans ducked as a clockwork bone flew through the air and buried itself in the wall behind him. Swearing, Sans turned and ran the opposite way down the corridor.

Metal Papyrus may have had trouble speaking, but he was quite fast. Sans managed to stay ahead, but he could tell it was only a matter of time before his alternate brother caught up with him. It would've been easy to simply summon a Gaster Blaster and reduce him to ash, but … it was still Papyrus. Even thinking about hurting him made Sans feel horrible.

Then again, what exactly was he going to do? If 3177 was any indication, whatever effected Papyrus was contagious, probably by touch. 3177 realized this and cut off his own arm to stop the infection from spreading. Sans couldn't just let him go back to the other monsters, not as he was. For that matter, why was he just walking around? If he was infectious, why didn't the SCP have him locked away.

The answer came to him instantly; they probably did. 3177 chased the soldier back to Site 37, he was looking for a way back into the base, likely with the intent of finding Papyrus, or some proof of him. Hell, he might have even caught the soldier and found out where Paps was being held. Sans goes into the cell, sees Paps in confinement, and did exactly what Sans, Fuku, and Artie did; freed what they believed to be a monster in distress. Sans probably moved to grasp Pap's arm, maybe rub the top of his skull affectionately, and that was how his arm was infected.

Another clockwork bone buried itself in the wall just ahead of Sans. He barely ducked in time to avoid slamming into it. Whatever happened, Sans realized he had to either find a way to trap or incapacitate his brother, or else he'd have no choice but to destroy him … no, that wasn't an option. He would not be responsible for his brother's death, not like this. He had to find a way to reach him, to make Papyrus understand.

More bones soon followed. Sans, unsure if contact with one of them would infect him, found himself diving, twisting, and leaping through the corridor with the intensity, if not quite the grace, of a professional ballerina.

"You cannot escape my expertly crafted assault forever, Not-Sans!" Papyrus shouted.

"Don't need to do it forever. Just long enough." Sans said before using a shortcut to slip behind Papyrus.

Papyrus slid to a halt and stared ahead for a few moments before shouting, "You shan't escape! I, the great Papyrus, will capture you!"

While Papyrus continued his tirade at the empty corridor, Sans dug his hands into his pockets. Eventually, he pulled out a small tube bearing the Doctor Wondertainment logo.

"Doctor Wondertainment's Bully Blocker." Sans read to himself. "'Pull tab and throw behind you to make those pesky punks pause in their pursuit.' Worth a shot."

Sans tossed the tube at Papyrus's feet and took off running just as Papyrus turned. The tube bounced once before exploding into a spray of confetti and twenty or so differently colored pills no bigger than an inch across. Each pill bounced once as well before extending on either side, stopping only when they came in contact with a solid object. For the most part, this was either the floor, the ceiling, or one of the walls. In a few cases, it was Papyrus.

Sans glanced back to see Papyrus caught amid a bunch of multi-colored rods, effectively pinning him in place. Breathing a sigh of relief, Sans said, "Thanks again, Doc."

"Rrrgh!" Papyrus grunted, struggling to free himself. "Don't think you have befuddled me, Not-Sans! I, the great Papyrus, will escape!"

"I dunno." Sans said, sauntering closer to Papyrus. "Looks like a pretty sticky situation."

"I'm trying to be serious." Papyrus said, glowering at him.

"Hey, I'd never test your metal."

"Grah!" Papyrus said, "No more puns! You're as bad as my brother!"

Sans shrugged. "Oh, I'm worse. Now look, Paps, I don't know what crap the SCP has been feedin' ya, but they are not your friends."

"But … they helped me after I was changed."

"They're the ones who changed you, bone-head! That mechanical cat was infected! They made you touch it because they wanted to know what would happen."

"I'm … infected? But why would they do that?"

"I dunno." Sans said. "Maybe they were bored. Maybe they were just curious."

"But that means … that means when he touched me …" Papyrus squinted his eye-sockets shut and shook his head. "No! I would never hurt my brother! You're trying to trick me!"

"Prank? Pun, Joke? Yeah. But I'd never trick you, Paps." Sans let out a sigh. "Look, this is probably gonna confuse the heck outta ya, but I am Sans … a Sans from another Universe, a universe where you died, Paps. You died and … and it was my fault."

"Oh, Sans." Papyrus said. "You would never hurt me. We're brothers! We look out for each other."

"You're right. You're absolutely right. I should've been there, not you. I could've stopped her right there. I stopped her hundreds, thousands … maybe even millions of times, so many times that I didn't think it mattered. I let you face her alone, and now, this is all I have left of you."

Sans reached into his coat and pulled out Papyrus's scarf. He held it up so MetalPapyrus could see it, and watched as the metal-eye-sockets took it in.

"I'm not your brother." Sans said, tucking the scarf back into his coat. "But that doesn't matter; every time I see a Papyrus, no matter how strange, how different they seem … I still see mine … and seeing you like this … I hate it. I want to help, but I just don't know how. All I do know is that right now, you're dangerous … to humans and monsters. Knowing you the way I know I do, I can't imagine you want that. It doesn't matter what Undyne says; I know inside, you're a Royal Guard."

Papyrus bowed his skull. "Sans … my Sans. Is he okay?"

"I think he'll live." Sans said. "But he's going to need you."

"Need me?' Papyrus asked.

"Yes, he needs you." Sans said. "We always do, and now he only has one arm. You know how reckless we are."

"Yes." Papyrus said, smiling a little. "You are very careless … but if I am infected-"

"We'll find a cure." Sans said, "Maybe there's something here that can counter the effects. Maybe Glen can do something."

"Glen?" asked Papyrus. "Who is Glen?"

"Glen? Oh, she's great. She's a human, and she loves monsters like us; she's out there right now, helping us take control of this place. If anyone can pull a cure out of her squishy butt, it's her. But before that, we need to take back the core and free the others. And for that, we need all the help we can get."

"You mean … you need my help?"

Sans nodded.

"Even when my touch is so dangerousey?"

"Well, if you avoid touching people with your bare … er, metal, I think it should be fine. Besides, it'll give the SCP jerks who did that to you a good scare. So how about it?"

"Well …"

"I'll even talk with your Sans about picking up his socks."

Resolve entered MetalPapyrus's eyes. "It's a deal!"

* * *

Undyne and Alphys huddled behind the door. It was fortunate the doors were designed to take abuse, as there were no less than ten soldiers are the far end of the corridor currently firng at it. They didn't know what happened to Mister Spooks, though given his nature, he could be right next to them, but have no way to communicate.

"Running low on clips." Alphys said, slotting a massive metal magazine into her homeade blade launcher. "Shame Miss Melody's busy with those clowns in the cafeteria. I just hope her rendition of 'The Music Man' will keep them busy for awhile."

"Ha!" Undyne laughed. "Kinda wish I coulda watched the show."

Alphys pumped the first of the circular blades into place, before glancing over at Undyne. She'd taken a few glancing shots along the way, but nothing serious. Still, Alphys couldn't help but feel concerned.

"Your givin' me that look." Undyne said, giving her friend a sharp-toothed smile.

"I'm your wife. It's my right."

Undyne chuckled even as the edges of the door were slowly eaten away by gunfire. "Think we'll make it out of this?"

"Of course." Alphys said before firing her weapon. The circular blade bounced off the smooth corridor wall toward the soldiers. A scream made it clear the projective had hit something. "And then you can take me to a nice beach, like you promised."

"Heh. Does this mean I get to see you in a bikini?"

Alphys blushed, but smiled. Her smile faded as she saw more soldiers approaching from behind.

Undyne spotted them too; she sent a flurry of magical spears toward them, killing some and sending the rest running for cover. Unfortunately, she had to move partly out of her own cover to attack, during which time one of the soldiers from the other side of the hall managed to hit her right in the shoulder. Undyne fell back against the door with a growl, clutching at her injured arm.

"Undyne!"

"I ain't dead yet." Undyne said, despite the pain evident on her face. "I'll keep them off us; you just deal with our other friends."

Their gazes met; at that moment, they both knew it was only a matter of time. More soldiers were joining the groups at either end of the corridor, and they wouldn't be able to reach the nearest containment room without being exposed to fire from both sides.

Without warning, a hole opened in the ceiling not far from where Alphys and Undyne were huddled. Alphys caught a glimpse of a red-haired human girl poking her head through the hole for a moment before quickly ducking her head back through the hole moments before bullets flew past where her head had been.

"Grab my legs!" They heard someone shout from beyond the black hole. Her hands flashed through the opening a moment later, each tossing a small metal sphere down a different side of the corrider. The spheres rolled quickly toward the soldiers for a few moments before detonating in an explosion of electricity that knocked every soldier off their feet.

"What the-" Undyne had time to say before the red-haired human dropped through the hole.

"Ta-da!" She said, spreading her arms. "Tesla grenades for the win!"

"When you've finished your victory dance, Claudia."

"In a minute." Claudia did indeed do a little dance, prompting an aggrevated sigh from the hole. Apparently satisfied, she stepped out of the way so Jinks could emerge from the hole. Alphys opened her mouth to ask what was going on, only to stop and stare as AgentSans fell out of the hole, followed by UNDRPapyrus

"Good thing you stole Tex Avery's sketching pencils." AgentSans said, brushing off the arms of his suit.

"Steal? I didn't steal." Claudia said, tossing a pencil in the air and catching it deftly. "I'm cataloging them, simple as that."

"For five months?" Jinks asked.

Claudia made a face at him. "Artie gets to keep a bag of tricks. Why can't I keep a toy or two? Helped us here, didn't it?"

"Wait! You're Artie's friends?" Undyne said, grinning. "The ones with that Glen lady?"

"That's us." UNDRPapyrus said. "We're here to help!"

"Claudia Donovan." The red-haired woman said before nodding at the others. "Jinks, the Sans from our dimension, and the Great Papyrus, finest chef of the UNDR-Ground. Did I say that right?"

"Perfectly, Miss Donovan." Papyrus said, beaming at her.

"We're here to help." Claudia said, beaming at Alphys and Undyne.

Alphys stared at her. "You're human."

"I would prefer the title 'genius', but I guess human's accurate enough." Claudia said with a shrug.

"Ha! Great timing, too." Undyne said as Alphys helped her to stand. "Well, come on! We got a core to take!"

"You follow me." Alphys commanded, pushing her wife back. "You're injured, and I've still got a mostly full clip. No arguments."

Only there was an argument; letters carved themselves into the nearby wall, spelling out the message, "Wait!"

"Spooks?" Alphys said, gaze narrowing. "Where the hell have you been?"

"SCP-3150. You need to see this."

The door with the plaque marking it as SCP-3150 was a short way down the hall, near where the larger group of soldiers had first attacked. She stepped into the room and immediately stopped, Undyne bumping into her a moment later.

Asgore slowly raised his head, dark circles under his eyes. He sat in the center of a strange energy field that glowed faintly blue, his head bowed.

The sparkling light of hope rose in the bossun's gaze as recognition set in. "Captain Undyne? Builder Alphys?"

"Your majesty!" Alphys said, stepping forward only for something invisible to grab her shoulder and hold her back.

The message appeared on the wall moments after it released her. "Energy field hurts. Trust me."

"On it." Claudia said. She moved to a console on the outer wall of the room and soon had the console face off, exposing the circuitry beneath.

As Claudia worked to free the King of the Underground, Alphys asked, "Are you okay, King Asgore?"

"A lot better now that I have some friendly faces to greet me." He said, shaking his head. "I'm sorry."

"It wasn't your fault." Alphys told him.

"I let them into the Underground." King Asgore said. "I greeted them with open arms … I trusted them. If I'd have known …"

"If you'd have known, we'd probably still be right where we are." Undyne said. "We all wanted to see the surface; it's not our fault the jerks found us."

The field around Asgore hummed loudly before vanishing with a loud 'whoosh' sound. Claudia turned and approached King Asgore. "You ran into bad humans. Lucky for you, us good humans are way more awesome, and good humans from alternate universes just plain rock."

"And we're so modest too." Jinks said, rolling his eyes.

Asgore chuckled as they helped him to his feet. "Then you're here to help us?"

"Take back the Core, kick out the SCP." AgentSans said with a grin. "It's all part of the plan. You in, your Majesty?"

Asgore looked at them for a moment before a mighty trident appeared in his hands.

"Let's save the Underground."


	31. Chapter 30 - The Core

**Chapter 30**

 **The Core**

Sans ducked into the outer chamber of the core, MetalPapyrus following shortly after in a stiff gait. He stepped inside the chamber, reached up and grabbed the sliding door, and forcibly pulled it down, effectively blocking the gunfire of the foundation soldiers chasing them.

The outer chamber was essentially a large dome with a smaller dome in the center, accessible through a massive and very secure set of doors. There were not, however, any guards. Sans thought this a bit strange, but was prepared to accept it as reality giving him a break.

"Nothin' in here." Sans said, breathing a sigh of relief, "That was way too close, Paps."

"They were quite persistant." MetalPapyrus said. "Still, I think I convinced some of them to be nice."

"Uh, right." Sans said, deciding not to mention that the soldiers in question had run out of ammo. With a flick of a finger, he sent a bone flying through the console near the forced door.

"There." He said, rubbing his hands together. "That'll stop them for a bit, at least at that entrance."

"Shouldn't we close the others?" MetalPapyrus asked.

Sans shook his head, once again checking the map Alphys gave him. "We need to keep a way clear for the others."

Sans's radio beeped. "Speakin' of which." He said before raising the radio to his ear. "SmileyBones here."

"Sans, where the heck are you?!" Fuku shouted loud enough to make Sans wince.

"Fuku, babe, I'm sorry." Sans said, rubbing his skull. "I ran into somethin' I couldn't ignore, and-"

"You're at the core, aren't you?"

Wincing again, Sans said, "Er, yeah. But hey, I'm not alone. I'm with the local Papyrus. He's …" Sans looked at his metal brother for a moment before saying, "Oresome."

"That's not funny." Papyrus said.

"You said you were gonna wait. You promised."

"I did." Sans admitted. "I'm sorry, but more soldiers turned up, and one thing led to another … look, the southeast entrance to the outer core is swarmed with soldiers. You're gonna have to find another way."

There was a brief pause before Fuku replied. "Sure. We'll think of something."

"Fuku …" Sans sighed and said, "Be careful, okay?"

"I will … Fluffy-bones."

"Fluffy-bones?" Metalpapyrus asked, giving Sans a curious look. "Your bones aren't even a little fluffy."

"Er, I'll make sure to let her know." Sans turned his attention to the rest of the outer core room. It was essentially one big round room surrounding the core itself; Sans was unfamiliar with it, seeing as his reality didn't have an outer core room.

"Probably added by the SCP." Sans murmured moments before Glen and Savannah rushed through the northeast doors, followed by a mix of Are We Cool Yet members and freed monsters.

"Sans!" Glen shouted, raising an arm in greeting. "Nice to see you again."

"You too." Sans said, waving back at her. "I see you found some friends."

"Oh, yes. These fine artisans are from a group known as 'Are We Cool Yet'. Savannah, this is my friend, Sans."

Savannah looked Sans and Papyrus over, a grin spreading over her face. "Very awesome."

"And this is Pap …" Glen stopped and took a second look at Papyrus. "Paps? What in the heck happened to you?"

"The SCP jerks infected him with something. Whatever it is spreads like mad over monsters."

"Ugh." Glen muttered, peering at Papyrus. "Converts bio-matter into metal and clockwork … I've seen this before. Some kind of virus; always thought those Fifth Church kooks had something to do with it. Look, I can't change you back to bone."

"I understand." Papyrus said, a sad look falling over his skull.

Smiling, Glen leaned forward and gave him a kiss on the cheekbone. Sans caught a glimmer of light escaping from the rune on the Dreamer's right hand. Papyrus shuddered a moment, several of his metal parts clicking erratically for a few moments before finally settling.

Leaning back, Glen asked, "Feeling better?"

"I think so." MetalPapyrus said, his speech normal as he rubbed his head. "Thank you, Miss …"

"Glen." Sans said. "Just Glen. Like I said, it won't change you back, but at least you won't have to worry about infecting anyone."

"What did you do?" Sans asked.

Glen shrugged. "Basically, I exchanged all his infected parts for equal parts made from conventional materials while making sure he retained his soul; it's kinda like pulling a tablecloth without knocking over the glasses."

"That's an odd hobby." Papyrus said. "I like it!"

Chuckling, Glen turned to Savannah and said, "All right; we're gonna go in and see if we can't take out the core. The core goes, and the site is dead. Fortunately, I have just the thing for this."

Glen slid open a compartment on Headache and pulled out a small book. Sans peeked over his shoulder and was surprised to see it was filled with schematics of the core. The handwriting on the notes was instantly familiar.

"Glen," Sans said, "Where did you get this?"

"From Papyrus of that universe where everyone was swapped, believe it or not." Glen said, still thumbing through the pages. "Said it could come in handy."

"But he didn't write it?"

"Uh, I don't know." Glen said, taking a moment to glance at the cover and the first few pages. "Ah, it says it's property of someone named W. D. Gaster."

"Gaster?" Papyrus asked. "Why does that name sound familiar?"

Sans wasn't sure what to say. He was shocked that the journal even existed. Glen continued to flip through the pages as he tried to think of something, anything to say in response.

"Aha!" Glen said, nodding. "I think I know what to do. Now, I'm gonna be honest; I don't know what kind of a ruckus this is gonna make, so everyone might want to move back."

"No problem." Savannah said with a grin. "Plenty of facility left to beautify, after all. Good luck, Glen."

"You too." Glen said, "And keep an eye out for any of the other groups of interest; I tried to keep most of the crazies out, but if the GOC and Serpent's hand show up, you know there's gonna be trouble."

"I'd be more worried about a counterattack from the SCP." Savannah said, "But don't worry about us; we have our own way out … both for us and our newest members."

The monsters who tagged along with the rest of the assault team cheered, some raising equipment given to them by the artsy humans.

Savannah asked, "Want us to seal up the doors before we go?"

"Uh, just the one we came through." Glen said. "We're expecting more friends soon."

"All right then. Good luck!"

Savannah waited for her team to leave before heading out of the core herself, closing the door behind her. She waved through the small glass window before spraying something that blocked it instantly.

Glen paused a moment before grabbing the edge of the door and tearing it off the wall like a large sticker.

"Nice." She said, rolling it up like a poster. "Whatever the rest of the world thinks, you're cool in my book."

Tucking the rolled-up door under her belt, Glen turned back to Sans. After glancing him over, she said, "Fuku still okay?"

"She's a little mad at me, but yeah, she's okay." Sans said. "How about you? According to Artie, you were lost in a lake of ichor."

"Lost, captured. Held hostage by a creepy old lady who thought my regrets would be enough to open the door for her." Glen shook her head and said, "But it wasn't a waste of time. I think I've got a lead on the source of the ichor; someone who was infected, fought against it, and managed to beat it. We'll have to do a little time jump once we're done here to reach her, but-"

Further discussion was cut off by the arrival of Asgore, Undyne, Alphys, the team from Warehouse 13, and of course, UNDRPapyrus.

"Oh, wow!" Both Papyruses said in unison. "It's another me! And another Sans!"

"Heya." Agent Sans said, waving.

"Aha!" Glen said, clapping her hands together. "Now it's a party. Claudia; I could use your help getting into the inner chamber."

"Right on." Claudia said, following Glen to the console near the massive double doors.

Sans caught the uncertainty in Asgore's eyes as he watched Glen and Claudia work.

"Don't worry, your Majesty.' Sans told him. "Glen will go to hell and back to help us."

Glen flashed Sans a knowing grin. "Among other places."

Sans's radio beeped. "Smiley-Bones here." He said, holding it to the side of his skull. "We're outside the core with everyone but Disco Inferno. Goatmom should be advised that BaaadDaddy is here."

"Asgore? He's alive?" Toriel's voice said, relief ebbing from every syllable.

"I'm okay, Tori." Asgore said, rubbing the back of his neck. "Sorry to scare you like that."

"Oh Asgore, you … you you stupid …" Toriel's voice broke into a sob.

Asgore sighed. "Tori, I'm … I'm sorry. I should've listened to you. I've been a-"

"Aha!" Glen said, stepping back. "We're in!"

The security doors slid open, revealing the dark inner chamber. The light from the outer chamber was not enough to illuminate more than a few feet into the chamber, though everyone could feel the pulses from the core, rippling outwards like someone tapping at the fabric of reality.

"Easy." Glen said, holding a hand out to stop anyone from following her. "Let's face it; if the SCP Foundation wanted to place its nastiest trap, they'd put it right here."

A sudden chuckle made Glen halt in her tracks, a look of surprise on her face. Sans started forward, only to stop himself as Glen suddenly flew back against the outer core chamber wall.

"What the …" Claudia said moments before she too was hurled back against the outer core wall.

In a matter of moments, over half the room was airborn. Agent Sans and Jinks, the Papyruses, Asgore, Undyne, and Alphys; even Sans felt himself pushed to the outer wall and held immobile.

The inner core chamber changed. Sans had to blink his eye-sockets to make sure he was seeing it right, but he was; the core flickered and shifted as the lights of the chambers went out one-by-one, each sending a wave of sparks over the outer chamber.

Darkness fell over the chamber, broken only periodically every now and then as the core let off a soft pulse of blue light.

"Spooks?" Alphys asked, despite the fact that no one could see anything, aside from faint windows of light in the remaining doors leading out of the core chamber. "Any chance you're still free?"

A series of very panicked scratching sounds answered her, as though someone were trying to scratch a message on the wall but couldn't move their hands much. Sans sighed; he didn't need to see to decipher that answer.

After a good minute passed without further developments, Glen said, "All right; you got us here. Now what?"

Another dark chuckle sounded through the darkness. A burst of light appeared in the very center of the chamber, illuminating the room in a slowly growing light. The first thing Sans noticed that the core itself was gone. He was familiar enough with the true core to recognize it on sight, and what was in the center of the chamber was definitely not it. Instead, there was what appeared to be a massive monitor, the source of the light, held in place by masses of thick, thorn-covered vines that even then were spreading to the outer chamber. Grotesque arrangements of flesh formed eyes that looked around sporadically, teeth that clicked together unsettlingly as the abomination shifted on two clusters of ivies that formed massive hands.

Sans squinted at the monitor; there was someone in front of it, held by several thin vines. Whoever it was, they were small. Realization hit Sans just as the monitor brightened enough to reveal the scratched and bloody form of Frisk, her head bowed and her clothes in tatters.

The screen flickered until it displayed the image of a small yellow flower with a face.

"Howdy!" Flowey said, an evil grin on his face. "Nice of you to finally stop by."


	32. Chapter 31 - Temple Runners

**Chapter 31**

 **Temple Runners  
**

Asriel awoke only to find himself surrounded by darkness. He rose to his feet slowly, groaning as he forced his battered body to move. Fortunately, nothing seemed broken; just bruised.

He peered into the darkness for a few moments before summoning a small ball of fire. The flickering flame didn't provide much light, but it was enough to make out the walls of the stone chamber. A glance up showed only solid stone: no hole, no hinge, not even so much as a crack.

Unfortunately, there was no sign of Golemite either, nor any of his friends. Given that Golemite had only been a few feet away before vanishing, it occurred to Asriel that perhaps their separation wasn't an accident. He slid one of the crystal blades from his back. The blades, only half their original size after Asriel snapped them in half during the fight with Saymor Drax, were light, easy to use, and sharp as broken glass.

He moved slowly through the stone chamber, following the wall until he found a corridor leading out. The walls were covered with strange runes; Asriel wasn't sure whether they were decorations or somehow functional. He proceeded slowly, careful to keep an eye out for anything even remotely suspicious.

Just how far down was he? The temple island hadn't appeared to go down very far. Asriel supposed he should've been grateful he hadn't fallen through and ended up plummeting through the endless sky.

There was something to the pattern of the runes, if that was in fact what they were. Eventually, curiosity won over and Asriel brushed his hand against the wall, intending to wipe the dust away. At his touch, however, the lines etched in the wall began to emanate a faint blue light. Asriel froze instantly, fireball poised to pelt any unpleasant newcomers in the face should they appear.

The light spread across the runes, only to reveal they were, in fact, all part of a massive ongoing mural. Soon, the entire wall was lit up, displaying an image of a great city with a tower in the center.

Asriel stared at it for a few moments before letting out a gasp as the images started to move. The mural shifted, zooming in to the top of the tower, where thirteen figures stood around a small crystal. As Asriel watched, each of the figures emitted a small beam of light into the crystal, causing it to grow and slowly rise into the air. One by one, the figures vanished, each sliding into a strange glyph that carried them away from the tower. This continued until only two figures remained, but only for a moment. The final figures seemed to be absorbed into their own beams, which flowed into the crystal moments before it ignited. The view pulled back to view a vast expanse filled with floating islands, the city with the tower in the very center. Above the tower, the restored crystal filled the expanse with light.

Asriel was still pondering the images when a small voice said, "The restoration of the Solarius."

Asriel whirled around to find he was no longer alone. A figure easily a foot shorter than Asriel stood behind him, its features obscured by a thick dark-blue hooded robe.

The figure ignored Asriel's drawn blade and moved to stand beside him. As Asriel took a hesitant step back, the figure continued to stare at the mural. "When thirteen stood as One, and saved the Realm and all the universes it encompassed. There are more now, of course; Creation is a continual process, with no true ending."

"W-who are you?" Asriel asked.

The dark blue hood turned to regard Asriel. While he couldn't make out a face, Asriel could feel eyes watching him from beneath the dark depths of the hood.

"I am the keeper of history. I keep a record of all that happens within the Realm. You may call me Keeper, if you wish."

"The Realm?" Asriel asked. "But I thought this was the Deep."

The figure was silent for a long moment before finally turning away from Asriel and calmly walking down the corridor. Feeling as though he were meant to follow, Asriel hurried to catch up with his mysterious companion.

"I keep watch on the Realm," said Keeper, "and record it here, within the walls of this temple."

"You're a librarian?"

"In a sense. I guard the knowledge of the Dream Realm, so that the deeds of those who came before are not forgotten. The Restoration of the Solarius, the founding of the Shining Force, the rise and fall of Terael. I was there to see the creation of Junction Point, the vanishing of Lysandria, and the birth of the Wanderlands."

Asriel, who had never heard of any of these things, asked, "And the Deep?"

"Ah, yes, the Deep. Yes, I was here when it came into being." Without another word, the figure stopped, turned to the wall on their left, and pressed a gloved hand to the wall.

Asriel gasped as a mural formed on the wall, clearly depicting the entirety of the Deep. He'd seen similar maps in the headquarters of the Skyway Repair Crew: There was a difference, however.

"Where are the Precious Meadows?" Asriel asked. "They should be north of the Brass Woods."

"This is a map of the Deep as it was upon creation." Keeper said. "The Precious Meadows have only recently joined, the first of many such areas I believe."

"Recently joined?"

"Patience." The robed figure said, patting Asriel on the shoulder. "I will answer all questions in time. First, however, I must ask a favor; you see, this temple of memory is meant to traverse the realm. One cannot properly record history from outside, after all. Unfortunately, we are bound here as long as it remains within."

"As long as what remains?" Asriel asked.

"The Everstar shard, of course."  
Asriel stopped walking immediately. Keeper took a few more steps before slightly inclining his head back at Asriel. "You do seek the Everstar, do you not?"

As he spoke, several star-shaped glyphs appeared on the murals, each glowing brightly. Asriel was surprised to find that the glyph was present on so many

"Yes!" Asriel said, "Where is it?"

"I'm afraid I cannot be exact. As I said, I am not seeking the Everstar; as such, I cannot approach it without it relocating. Unfortunately, the Everstar is bound to the Deep. As such, we cannot leave as long as the shard remains in our halls."

Asriel said, "So I can have it?"

"With our blessings." Keeper said, bowing his robed head. "But it may not be easy. The halls of this temple are not constant, and there are risks involved, as with any venture."

The Keeper took a few steps away from Asriel before stopping again. Not turning around, Keeper said, "I will give you three pieces of advice to aid your search. The first is this: nothing can be taken from these halls without something being left in its place. To do otherwise might upset the guardians."

Asriel started to ask who the guardians were, only to remember the golems patrolling the outside of the temple. Having seen first hand just what Golemite could do when angry, Asriel decided to take Keeper's advice very seriously.

"The second piece of advice I have for you is to mind where you are. The corridors shift and change, and it is all too easy to get lost. If you do get stuck, however, remember; this is a repository of knowledge. Perhaps you will find the answer you need nearby."

Asriel nodded. "And the third thing?"

The Keeper nodded. "You shouldn't travel alone. Good advice for life, really. Fortunately, it seems that will not be an issue."

Asriel opened his mouth to ask what Keeper meant by this when he heard a familiar voice call out, "Azzie! Azzie, is dat you?"

Asriel turned and was momentarily blinded by the light coming from Golemite's eyes. He brought up a hand to shield his eyes from the light.

The light dimmed. "Sorry 'bout dat. You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm good. Listen, Golemite, this is-" Asriel turned to find that Keeper was gone.

He was still staring when he felt Golemite's hand on his shoulder. "You sure you're okay, Azzie?"

"Yeah." Asriel said, shaking his head. "But I'd better fill you in before we get moving."

Golemite listened in silence as Asriel relayed his experiences so far along with what Keeper told him. Much to Asriel's relief, she didn't seem inclined to question it.

"All right." Golemtie said, "So we just gotta find the shard and leave something with it, huh? Sounds simple enough."

"Somehow, I get the feeling simple isn't gonna enter into it." Asriel said before patting Golemite's arm. "Betcha I find it first!"

"Oh, like dat's fair; you can sense the ruddy thing."

They moved through the corridors in relative silence, aside from Golemite's footsteps … at least, Asriel thought they were hers. After a few corridors, however, the lumbering form of one of the stone guardians stomped into view.

"Watch it, Azzie." Golemite warned, assuming a defensive stance.

"It's okay." Azriel told her. "Keeper said they wouldn't mess with us unless provoked."

"Uh-huh." Despite the doubt in Golemite's tone, the guardian didn't so much as stop to look at them. It simply stomped onward, apparently oblivious to everything but its destination.

Shaking his head, Asriel and Golemite continued through the corridors, pausing only briefly to activate the ruins so they had continuous light.

It was hard not to look at the murals, especially since they were moving. Every ten-foot segment of wall was a different story, apparently from what Keeper referred to as 'the Realm'. Given some of the things the walls displayed, however, Asriel couldn't help but wonder just what kind of a place the Realm really was.

More than once, Asriel caught a mural that displayed a strange black energy; appearing as black spots, they sometimes spread through a mural, only to be purged a few moments later. While it was impossible to tell the true nature of the stories on display without context, it was clear the black energy was something bad, something that heroic figures regularly fought against and usually defeated.

They encountered their first shifting corridor about thirty minutes into their exploration. Deciding to backtrack, Asriel and Golemite turned to find the corridor they'd previously traveled through was now a dead end. Golemite pushed against the wall to no avail, inadvertantly triggering a mural about a scarecrow and a centauress fighting some kind of winged monstrosity that emerged from a segment of the strange black energy.

They encountered their first relic a few minutes later; a harvesting scythe that was strangely familiar. It took Asriel a few minutes to realize he'd seen it on the mural with the scarecrow, in hands of the centauress.

"So there's a connection between the artifacts and the murals." Asriel said.

"I guess so." Golemite sighed. "Feels like we've been down here fer hours. We gettin' any closer?"

Asriel closed his eyes and focused on the shard. "I … I think so."

It was a lie, but one meant out of kindness. In truth, he'd been feeling the presence of the shard off-and-on for awhile; from the way it felt as though it were moving, Asriel could only guess that it was in some corridor or chamber that was shifting around them.

"Hang on." Asriel said, his eyes on a nearby mural. "Maybe we've been going about this the wrong way."

"Huh?"

It took a few walls for Asriel to spot the Everstar Glyph. When he did, he pressed his hand against it and focused once again.

"Azzie, what are you … oh!"

Asriel smiled; there were three more glyphs nearby, each heading down the same hall. "A repository of knowledge, where the nearby murals are linked to the artifacts. Golemite, all we gotta do is follow the path made by the murals that talk about the Everstar, and I bet it'll lead us right to it!"

"Uh, if you say so." Golemite said.

Asriel resumed walking with renewed energy, pausing every now and then to reignite the glyphs. With little else to do, he found himself watching the murals as they passed.

The Everstar was always a prominent part of any mural that included it, usually at the very beginning or the very end. The pattern was always the same; the Everstar did … something, and the Realm was changed. Sometimes it was for the better, creating entirely new lands out of nothing. Sometimes it wasn't so happy; these murals depicted shattered continents, and beings both strange and normal screaming as they were killed. Usually it was only a single person who held the Everstar, but on rare occasions, there was a small group standing around the holder, each bearing a fragment of the glyph even though the central person held the completed Everstar.

There were more active murals now, on both sides of them. The events depicted grew larger in scope; worlds torn from their orbits, galaxies springing to life or snuffed out like candles, people becoming imbued with power and either helping those around them or ruling over them as a tyrant.

It took a while for Asriel to notice, but as the Everstar's events grew, so did the presence of the dark energy. There was no question about it; those who held the Everstar with darkness around them brought about pain and misery while those with an innate light brought about peace.

"And we know what's inside you, don't we, Asriel?" Whispered a voice that wasn't even remotely comforting.

Asriel bit his lip, but said nothing. He didn't want Golemite thinking he was crazy.

"Oh, what's wrong? Can't talk to your best pal? C'mon. Say hello."

Asriel didn't speak. He tried to focus his thoughts on something, anything else.

"That won't work." The insidious voice whispered through his mind. "Just you and me in here, and you're seeing how this is gonna end. After all, once you have all that power, why shouldn't we just go back? Our determination would be greater than even Frisk … the timeline would be ours again, and with the whole of the Deep to play with, we'll have so much fun!"

"Shut up!" Asriel muttered, hands twitching.

Golemite glanced at him curiously. "You say somethin'?"

Asriel shook his head.

"Who shall we start with? Golemite? Shye? Jenna? Who will be our first plaything? It was always fun to see their minds break when-"

"Shut up!" Asriel said, clasping his hands to his ears as Flowey's laughter rang through them.

"Azzie?" Golemite asked.

"Why deny it, Asriel? I am you, and it's only a matter of time before you finally give in and welcome me back. Golly, we'll have so much fun!"

"SHUT UP!" Asriel screamed. "I hate you! All you've done is hurt the people I've cared about!"

"Azzie! Snap out of it!"

Golemite's shaking was enough to drive all thoughts from Asriel's mind. He blinked a few times, his eyes wide as he stared at his friend. Shame immediately filled him.

"I … I'm sorry, Golemite." Asriel said.

"Don't worry about bein' sorry." Golemite said, ruffling Asriel's hair. "Just tell me what's up. You know I've got yer back, right? So let me help."

Asriel stared at Golemite for a long moment before slowly swallowing. "It … it's Flowey."

"Flowey? Ya mean dat flower you used to be."

"Yes! I can still hear him and … and I've been seeing him too. Golemite, what if he's right? What if I'm more him than me? I don't want to hurt anyone!"

"Easy dere." Golemite said, patting. "You ain't gonna hurt anyone … well, unless dey have it comin', and even den, you gotta beat me to it. All right? We all got da little voice in our heads, always whisperin' to do bad things. Golemite, why not sleep in? Golemite, why not goof off instead a workin'? Golemite, why not take a taste of dem jewels on King Dreemurr's crown?"

Asriel's eyes widened. "You didn't."

"No, I didn't." Golemite paused a moment before adding, "Well, maybe one little sapphire. Ting is, I regretted it immediately. It was wrong, and didn't even taste dat good. What I'm tryin' to say is, we've all gotta deal with our own Floweys. Maybe yer seein' yours 'cause ya spent so much time stuck as a flower, I dunno, but tha ting to remember is yer in charge, not him."

"Y-you think so?" Asriel sniffed, wiping his eyes.

"Of course. We're friends, and friends gotta be honest, right?"

Asriel smiled at him for a moment before his smile faltered. "Um … Golemite … there's something I've been meaning to tell you. Back in Archie and Beget's tower, when they repaired you, Beget…"

Something shone in the darkness, making Asriel lose his focus. Asriel turned to look and let out a gasp; there, at the end of a hallway that had only just appeared, was the Everstar. The shard hovered over a marble dias, encircled by a large mural.

"There it is!" Asriel said. "The shard!"

"The … great googley moogley, Asriel! Let's get it before dis crazy place changes again!"

Golemite and Asriel rushed down the corridor. Asriel heard the sound of stone sliding behind them, but didn't dare look back. When he started to fall behind, he felt Golemite's strong hand grab him by the straps of his overalls and hoist him into the air.

With a final leap, Golemite cleared the last few meters and landed heavily in the chamber containing the Everstar, moments before the walls of the corridor slid shut behind them. Setting Asriel down, Golemite steadied herself against the wall to catch her breath.

Asriel slowly approached the dias and slowly raised his hand. The shard floated toward Asriel, as though drawn to him. The moment his fingers closed around the shard, he felt its energy flow through him like the warmth of a thousand summer days.

He gasped as the feeling left him as quickly as it came, leaving him as breathless as Golemite. The two adventurers stood in silence, Golemite leaning against the wall and Asriel leaning against the now empty dias. Asriel glanced down at his whitefurred chest. Beneath his shirt, he could just make out the outline of the Everstar, the center and two points now illuminated as well.

"Well?" Golemite asked, her stone frame straightening. "We done?"

"Almost." Asriel said, drawing one of his crystal swords. "Something must be given. It's either one of these or my skyway badge."

After giving it a final look, he set it on the dias.

The ground rumbled as a new passage opened.

"Just in time." Golemite said, a grin on her stone face. "C'mon, Asriel; let's get out of here."

"Sure thing." Asriel said, gesturing for Golemite to go first. His gaze went back to the dias, where to his surprise he saw … himself. The mural was active, showing Asriel standing with a small group of others. The human woman in the green-and-gray shirt was unfamiliar, as were the blue flame woman, and the metal dog, but Asriel was fairly certain he recognized Frisk, Golemite, Shye and Mina, and much to his surprise, Sans. The group stood around Asriel, fighting as dark energy slowly spread over the mural, gradually closing in on them.

He watched the images in silence, the blood draining from his furry face as the story unfolded. Nausea slowly spread as he realized the implication of what he was seeing.

"Azzie!" Golemite called out, still walking away from the chamber. "You comin' or not?"

"Y-yeah." Asriel said. He stared at the mural for a few moments before shaking his head and hurrying after his friend. Even as he moved away, however, he could feel the eyes watching him … the eyes of the smiling flower with yellow pedals standing among the remains of the others, laughing as darkness consumed the rest of the mural.


	33. Chapter 32 - Mastermind

**Chapter 32**

 **Mastermind**

Glen struggled to move, but even her Dreamer power was being muted. That did not bode well. Still, she was not a believer in the no-win scenario; the trick was to look at what she could do, and find a way to use that to her advantage.

At the moments, she could move her fingers and toes, and her head with extreme effort. What did that give her? It gave her a headache … and, ironically, Headache. The subsystems were activated by hand gestures. That meant she could activate the grapple, the rivet driver, the flashlight, the communicator, and the fusion blades. Unfortunately, most of those were either useless with her arms pinned to the wall.

She continued going over her options as Flowey said, "Look at you all, scurrying around the Underground and Site 37 like little ants. Humans and monsters, fighting for control of … what? The Core? The Underground? Did you really think getting here would solve anything?"

"Asriel!" Sans said, drawing a sharp look from both Asgore and the monstrosity that was Photoshop Flowey. "Yeah, I know who you are, and I know what happened to you! Listen, we can help!"

"Oh, you can help me?" Flowey said in a teasing voice. "One of the Smiley trash bags wants to be my very special friend. Isn't that nice?"

Sans was thrown across the room, this time crashing face-first into the wall.

"Asriel?" Asgore said, making the flower's smile falter. "Why did you call him Asriel?"

Sans managed to turn his head away from the wall. "He's your son, Asgore. He came back without a soul and …"

Sans was hurled across the room again. The Papyruses cried out in unison, "Leave my brother alone!"

"Or what?" Flowey said, ivies plucking the Papyruses from the wall and bringing them closer to the monitor. "I could kill your brother now, just like I could kill all of you. What could weak pathetic nothings like you do to stop me?"

AgentSans thrust an arm out with a grunt. A Gaster Blaster appeared behind Flowey, charging energy quickly. Another evil smile on his face, Flowey turned so that Frisk would absorb the brunt of the blast. The child whimpered, too weak to even lift her head.

Swearing, AgentSans dismissed the Gaster Blaster.

"That's right." Flowey said. "You want to take me down, you gotta go through my new buddy Frisk. She's been a real pal, even more than Site Director Murdoc."

"Murdoc?" Alphys said, eyes wide. "She knows about you?"

"Who do you think tipped her off to the Underground?" Flowey laughed. His face suddenly somber, he said in a quiet voice, "It was such a happy ending, wasn't it? Frisk channeling the souls, breaking the barrier, and then all of you heading for the surface. It was so easy to play to the fears of the humans, to whisper in the dark about how dangerous you all were. After all, I was just an anomalous flower. What harm could I be?"

A vine swung into view, carrying the limp body of a human. It dropped her on the floor. After a few moments, however, the body rose and straightened her labcoat.

"She wasn't fun for long." Said Flowey from the former body of Site Director Murdoc. "But once she was gone, it was easy to take control of this place and start some experiments of my own. Controlling humans is so easy, even easier than controlling monsters."

"I don't understand." Asgore said. "Why would you do this, Asriel?"

"Flowey." The monitor said, narrowing its eyes at Asgore. "My name is Flowey. And I did this because it was fun!"

"Fun?!" Undyne said, struggling against her invisible bonds. "Listen you twisted freak, your fun got most of us stuck in cages! What about the monsters who died? What about-"

Undyne was flung across the room, then back again, then to the ceiling before finally dropping to the floor.

"Stop it!" Alphys shouted, tears in her eyes.

"Oh, I'm sorry." Flowey said as Undyne was hurled across the chamber again, this time landing near where Alphys was held. "There. All better?"

"Bastard …" Undyne muttered, blood dripping from her cut lip.

Glen felt her arm twitch. She realized that she could move it a little, though it took a lot of effort. This gave her some ability to aim, but she still needed something to shoot at. A rivet wasn't going to do much against Flowey, and grappling it wouldn't put her in a better place.

Then she saw it; the gleaming metal of Claudia's mini-tesla gun. If she amped up the power with Headache, the electrical blast might be enough to knock out Flowey long enough to break his power over them. Frisk would be affected, but if Glen could get a good shot at the back of Flowey's monitor, it should be enough to disperse the energy and only give Frisk a light jolt. She watched Flowey intently, waiting for a moment to shoot the grapple without being noticed.

The lifeless body of Site Director Manning did a macabre dance, limbs flailing as Flowey said, "Last year, I was stuck in a rut, living the same days over and over again. I'd thought I'd done everything, explored every possibility … then, the kid came, and her Determination cost me my power. I tried to stop her, to sway her, but who would've guessed all I needed to do was to let her succeed to get everything I've ever wanted?"

Flowey let out a high-pitched cackle that made Glen wince. Forcing herself to focus, she took aim and shot her grapple at Claudia.

Vines shot from the monstrosity that was Flowey, blocking Claudia and forcing the grapple to latch on to the vines instead. Glen felt her stomach twist as she was yanked away from the wall and brought to within inches of Flowey's monitor. Flowey's face loomed in her view, but it was the pitiful form of Frisk that made Glen's heart ache.

"Ah-ah-ah!" Flowey said. "Play nice, or I'll have to punish you!"

Thick vines wrapped around Glen's arms and legs, effectively holding her in place.

"And if you try anything else." Flowey said in a sickly-sweet voice, "I'll tear you apart."

A loud clang of metal made Flowey's monitor turn; a section of the wall had fallen, the edges still glowing with heat.

"Oh?' Flowey said, sounding more amused than anything. "We have more guests! Come out, new friends, so you can join our little party!"

When nothing was forthcoming, Flowey frowned. Leaving Glen hanging in the air, Flowey's monitor moved closer to the hole. "What's wrong?" He asked, "Too shy?"

He laughed again, but his laugh was cut short as Toriel stepped through the opening.

"That's enough, Asriel." She said sharply.

"M-mom." Flowey said, clearly surprised. Glen felt the vines holing her weaken. Knowing she only had once chance, Glen remained completely still while she considered a plan of attack.

"Let them go." Toriel said.

"I … I can't." Flowey said, "They'll try to stop me … try to take Frisk."

"You need to let her go." Toriel said, still approaching the steadily retreating Flowey. "You've hurt so many people, earned so much LOVE … isn't it time to stop?"

"You don't understand." Flowey said, monitor bowed. The vines holding Frisk lowered, though they did not release her. "You don't know what it's like for me."

"Then tell me, my child. Let me try and give you some peace." Toriel said.

For a moment Flowey seemed to deflate. Several of the monsters fell to the ground, most letting out groans. No one was in much of a position to attack, though Glen could see Sans struggling to stand out of the corner of her eye. Flowey didn't release Glen, of course, but she was slowly being lowered to the floor.

"It … it was dark." Flowey said, "And cold. So cold. And then, I was pulled back. It didn't hurt, but something was wrong, something … something was missing."

"It's okay." Toriel said in a soothing tone. "It's all okay now."

She took a step forward, and that was when both Glen and Flowey noticed it; the foot beneath Toriel's robes was human.

Flowey's eyes narrowed. Vines shot out and grabbed Toriel, lifting her into the air and revealing the legs of a human male.

"Cute!" Flowey said as the vines twisted around her. "Very cute. Let's see how much you laugh without arms or legs!"

Toriel shifted back into the form of the now very frightened Mister Mirror, but only for a moment. His form soon shifted, mimicing Flowey's monsterous form. Both monitored displayed Flowey's shocked face, but the one that was Mister Mirror quickly recovered and send several vines flying at the real Flowey.

The vines around Glen loosened enough for her to activate Headache's fusion blades and slice through the vines holding her. She hit the floor, the ends of the vines oozing black ichor as they waved around like severed tentacles.

"Ech." Glen said, shaking off the remaining coils and searing away the small bits of ichor with a burst of light before dashing toward Frisk. Flowey tried to pull Frisk away from Glen, but the distraction caused by his struggle with Mister Mirror was enough to Glen to leap into the air and sever the vines holding her. She dove backwards the moment her feet touched the ground, just barely catching Frisk.

"No!" Flowey screamed, dozens of vines racing toward Glen. The Dreamer danced across the chamber, her Tek-boots flaring as she darted around to evade both the vines Flowey was controlling, and those engaged in the fight between Flowey and Mistor Mirror.

Fire raced through the air, burning the vines into ash. As Flowey's screams continued, Mister and Missus Grillby entered through the hole cut into the chamber wall, Fuku and Artie moving in behind them.

"Ugh." Claudia said as Artie helped her up. "About time you showed up. What, did you stop for a cookie break?"

"Very funny." Artie said before moving to help Jinks.

Flowey threw Mister Mirror to the floor and looked up only to find the monsters and humans ready. Magic spears, bones, Gaster-Blasters shot through the air, joined by rivets from Headache, and electrical blasts from the Warehouse Agent's teslas.

Flowey let out a final scream of rage before collapsing under the onslaught, almost hitting Mister Mirror as he returned to his original form and quickly ran to avoid being crushed.

For a moment, all went still. Photoshop Flowey's massive form slowly crumbled away to dust, the vines falling away from the core. Fuku ran over to Sans and gave him a big hug even as Claudia and Jinks high-fived each other. Even Asgore seemed to relax a little … that was, until the last of the vines crumbled away to reveal a single yellow flower with a face.

"Why?" He asked, face only inches from the ground. "Why don't I get a happy ending? Don't I deserve one? Was I wrong to not kill the humans of Ebott while I was alive? I … I hate you. I hate all of you."

"Asriel …" Asgore said.

"That's not my name." Flowey said, his voice quiet. "Asriel died. I'm just Flowey now."

Glen felt Frisk stir in her arms. Glancing down, she met Frisk's gaze. It was strange how much the little girl could convey without saying so much as a word.

"Are you sure?" Glen asked her. When Frisk nodded, Glen sighed and carefully set her down. Frisk steadied herself against Glen for a moment before slowly approaching Flowey, a sad look on a face far too weary for its lack of years.

"What do you want?" Flowey said as she approached and knelt beside the flower. "Are you gonna make fun of me?"

Frisk didn't respond. She just held out a hand, as though offering something.

"Really?" Flowey said, "You'd forgive me just like that? I could have killed you. I could have killed all of your friends."

Frisk didn't move.

"I could still kill them." Flowey said, an evil grin spreading across his face as he slowly straightened his stem. "Tear them to pieces once I regain my strength."

Frisk's hand remained outstretched.

"How can you just let all I did go like that?" Flowey asked, frustration in his voice.

Frisk didn't respond, though, her lips curved in a kind smile.

"I don't understand." Flowey said, tears in his eyes. "Why … why are you being so nice? I … I don't understand."

Frisk moved closer, her hand inches away from touching Flowey's downturned petals.

A blast of light shot from above, incinerating Flowey in one fell blast and knocking Frisk back against the floor. She pushed herself up and stared at the dust-covered floor where Flowey had been only moments before, shock evident on her young face.

"What the hell?!" Glen said, looking around, "Not cool! Who did …"

A chuckle ran through the chamber, a chuckle that sounded like Sans, even though neither Sans was smiling.

Realization hit Glen like lightning. She leapt forward to grab Frisk, only for hundreds of blue threads to erupt from the air around her and hold her and everyone else in the chamber except for the fallen Frisk. Glen felt the threads lift her into the air until she and everyone else was level with the core, save Frisk, who was in no condition to do much of anything.

On top of the core floated Error, his hands behind his head and his body floating in a reclined position.

"About time you got here."


	34. Chapter 33 - Erroneous

**Chapter 33**

 **Erroneous**

Glen glared at Error. "Weak, dude. What, you just watched while Flowey tried to kill us?"

"Better you than me." Error laughed and shook his head. "Just kidding; I could've killed that monstrosity in an instant. Almost did, actually, but then I realized 'hey, why waste the energy? Why not let the people who've been a serious pain in my spine tire themselves out?'"

"Cute." Glen said, inwardly berating herself for not suspecting this would happen. She knew Error was tied to their universe, but hadn't spared him a thought.

"Do you see now?" Error asked as he looked around at the others. "Do you see how insane things get when they don't go the way they're supposed to? The Monsters either escape the Underground, or they're all destroyed. But here you are, adding to the mess!"

"Ah-" Glen said, more glowing strings gagging her the moment she opened her mouth. There was no resisting this time; the threads bound her and held her firmly in place.

"Oh, no; You don't get to talk anymore." Error snapped. "You need to listen. You need to understand. All these realities, all these possible futures and alternate histories and yadda yadda blah! Do you see how impossible it is to keep anything in any semblance of order?"

Error looked over the group. "Warehouse 13, The SCP Foundation, the UNDR-Ground …" Error spun about to glare at Glen. "And you … you Dreamers and your Dream Realm and your damn J-27 universe. You make what should be a simple story so damn complicated! And why? Curiosity? Boredom? Sheer stupidity?"

Error gestured to Mister and Missus Grillby. "And now look at what your carelessness has done! The Underground all separated and kept in containment by this SCP Foundation! Papyrus turned into a damn machine!"

"Actually, I feel fine now." MetalPapyrus said, his tone as perky as ever. "Miss Glen's kiss really did the trick."

Error sighed and rubbed his eye-sockets for a few moments. "That's not the point. I've dedicated myself to bringing some order to the damn multiverse, only for you to go kicking your clumsy feet in the middle of it!"

The strings gagging Glen fell away, though they didn't disappear. Swallowing, Glen asked, "You talk like you're blaming me for all this. It's not like I made these realities, you know."

Error held up the crystal holding the fragment of the Inverse Harmonius. "Did you think using this was harmless? Did you think, hey, I can poke holes in the fabric of the universe and everything will be just hunky-dory?"

Glen felt the blood rush from her face. "Well, to be honest, yeah. It's what the rune does."

"What it does is spread the chaos! Don't you get it? The Underground was never supposed to exist in the same Universe as the Foundation or the Warehouse! The closest the SCP should have ever gotten to the Underground anywhere was SCP-1230, and then only as a created fantasy! Anywhere, that is, except your J-27. Something about your reality is different, and that difference is creating echo realities mirroring aspects from those that make up J-27. At first, I thought that idiot Ink had something to do with it, but it's you. Everytime you shift realities, more pop up around you like weeds."

"I don't …" Glen stopped, remembering the conversation she'd had with the Creator so long ago. Glen whispered, remembering what the Creator had told her so long ago; "A patchwork universe made of bits of other universes, cheating the nature of the cosmos."

"There's enough chaos on my plate with Ink, CoreFrisk, and Gaster without you making it worse!"

"Gaster?" Glen said, glancing at everyone else and finding that most of them seemed confused as well … though she did notice that none of the Sanses were meeting her gaze, Error none-withstanding. "Who is Gaster?"

Ignoring her, Error continued, "I mean … look at your little team here! You've got people from six different realities, and that's not even getting into the multiples like Abomination Seventy-three."

Error gestured at AgentSans, who could only glare back at him.

"This has to stop." Error said. He tried to raise his hand only to falter. A look of annoyance fell over his face as he tried to move.

"Problems?" Glen asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Shut up!" Error said, his form. "Just stop talking!"

A small cough cut through the air, drawing Error's attention away from Glen. It was Artie; the bunny man gave Error a brief bow of the head and said, "You know, I could get that rope off of you."

"Yeah? And you'd help me why?"

"Just being friendly." Artie said with a smile.

Jinks looked at him, but before he could open his mouth, Claudia managed to swing close enough to kick him in the backside.

"Or I could do it." Sans said, catching on. "I mean, hey; how could you not trust this face?"

"Very easily." Error said, eye-sockets narrowing at his other self.

"I'll help!" Both Papyruses said simultaneously, followed by King Asgore, who added, "We should have a nice cup of tea before we do anything rash, yes?"

"I don't want your help, any of you … you abominations!" Error snapped, "I'll get out on my own, after I've dunked this universe once and for all."

Glen stared at him for a few moments before starting to chuckle. Those capable of moving their heads turned to stare at her as her laughter echoed through the chamber.

A dark look in his flickering eye-sockets, Error made a sharp gesture with his free hand. Glen flew across the chamber, smashing into the wall.

One of her eyes swollen and she had a nasty cut on her lip, yet she continued to chuckle. "All that power, and a little rope is all it takes to stop you?"

Error gestured at her again, sweeping her off her feet. Error continued smashing her against the walls before finally dropping her unceremoniously in the center of the room.

Glen pushed herself up slowly, feeling as though she'd taken a ride in a tumble dryer. Still, she laughed; out of the corners of her eyes, she could see the strings binding her friends starting to slip away as a result of Error's anger. She just had to hope her physical body didn't die before the others could escape.

He eventually stopped his assault, leaving her still weakly chuckling on the floor. "Fine. Enjoy your stupid joke while this pathetic universe falls apart around-"

After seconds passed without another word, Glen forced herself to look up at Error, whose gaze was now at his side, where Frisk had just untied the rope from Error's bound arm. The rope shifted like a massive snake before falling to the ground at Error's feet. Frisk took a step back, a fearful look in her eyes as Error continued to stare at her. It wasn't just her afraid; everyone in the room was holding their breath.

Without warning, the threads lowered everyone still captured to the floor before vanishing back to wherever they came from.

Sans and Fuku rushed over to the now-bruised and battered Glen.

"You okay?" Sans asked, helping her to her feet.

"Been better." Glen replied, wincing.

Fuku shook her head and said, "Maybe laughing wasn't such a hot idea."

"Hot idea, huh?" Glen said with a smirk. "You sayin' I made an Error in Judgement?"

Sans chuckled and gave Glen a pat on the back. "And I thought I was the bonehead. You're fine."

"You let me go." Error said, kneeling to look Frisk in the eyes. "But I'm going to destroy this universe. Why did you let me go?"

"Because," Said a voice that turned out to be Artie. "She's an incredibly nice young lady. That kind of niceness deserves a reward, don't you think?"

"A reward …" Error said, shaking his head as though his thoughts were muddled. "I … I guess you're right."

"Of course." Glen said, careful to keep her voice low. "Aesop's rope."

Sans and Fuku looked at her curiously.

"Aesop's Rope." Glen repeated, pointing at the coiled rope lying at Error's feet. "I heard Artie call it that, but I didn't realize … you know the story about the mouse and the lion, right? Lion catches a mouse, but shows it mercy and lets it go. Lion gets captured in a trap later, and the mouse comes and nibbles through the rope, setting the lion free."

"Oh!" Fuku said, "The Lion and the Mouse!"

"Exactly. Yeah, well Aesop's rope traps anyone who touches it, at least until one of those trapped is more than half-trapped in it. At that point, anyone can undo the knot by just touching it. The formerly trapped are then bound to obey the person who helped them."

"And if they don't?" Fuku asked.

Glen shrugged. "They're compelled to do it, even if it goes against their nature."

Their eyes fell on Error, who was still looking at Frisk. Frisk herself looked uncertain, understandably so.

"Um … Miss Frisk." UNDR-Papyrus said, stepping forward with an air of nervousness. "I'm dreadfully sorry to interrupt you, but I was hoping to ask … with the imprint gone, is there any way those of us not from this reality can get back home? I miss my cooking show, and my Sans, and not fighting for my life."

"Yes." Error said, nodding. "I could send them home. As long as I'm doing it, it won't create any more problems."

Frisk looked at UNDR-Papyrus for a moment before turning back to Error, gaze narrowed. She leaned forward and whispered something to him.

Error's jaw twitched. After a few moments, he gave her a curt nod. "I promise."

"Promise?" Glen asked. "What did you promise?"

Error glared at Glen before pointing at Artie and the cluster of Warehouse agents. They all vanished before anyone could say so much as a word.

"Hey!" Glen said, stepping forward. "What did you-"

"I sent them back to their reality." Error snapped, pointing at UNDR-Papyrus, who vanished another moment later. "And now it's your turn … you and your friends."

"Wait!" Glen said, raising her hands.

Error let out a groan. Rubbing his eye-sockets, he said, "I'm letting you go and have promised not to harm your realities. Isn't that enough?"

"Sans and Fuku, their realities are functionally dead." Glen said quickly, even as she reached out and severed the connection binding Sans, Fuku, Error, and herself together. "Send them to the UNDR-Ground. That's as good as their home anyway."

"Huh?" Sans said, looking at her with obvious surprise. "Wait a damn-"

Sans and Fuku vanished, their looks of surprise the last thing Glen saw of them.

"Good bye." Glen whispered, still looking at where Sans and Fuku previously stood. Sighing, she turned back to Error and said, "All right. I'm ready."

"Not yet." Error said grimly.

Frisk put her hands on her hips and gave him as stern a look as she could muster.

"You don't have to give me the evil eye, kid." Error told her. "You got my word I'll get her home perfectly unharmed. I gotta have a little talk with her first. All right?"

Frisk still looked dubious, but relented with a sigh, her tiny shoulders hunching even as Asgore approached her and picked her up.

Glen opened her mouth to respond, only for the world to vanish around her, leaving her alone in a strange white void with Error.

"Ah." Glen said, looking around again. "Er, nice place you got here."

"It's the Void." Error said, rubbing his eye-sockets. "It's not supposed to be nice, though there are worse places."

He turned to face her, hands on his hips. "I promised Frisk I wouldn't hurt any of you, and while it goes against my better judgement, I'm gonna stay true to my word. Anything to be rid of that damn rope and all of you little universe-hopping pests."

"What about Site 37?"

"What about it? You just overthrew the SCP, and started up enough of a fight to make it a pain for them to take it back. I think you've done enough; now it's time to send you back to where you belong.

"Wait," Glen said, "You can see into all dimensions, right?"

"Most of them, yeah." Error said, his tone suspicious. "There are … blind spots. Other powerful entites, even more powerful that whatever the hell you are, like to have their little sanctuaries."

"I'm looking for a robot dog." Glen said, "A KEI-9 Unit named Jake, from my dimension. There's also the matter of the shard of the Inverse Harmonius."

"No more imprints!" Error said, anger in his eyes.

"Not an imprint." Glen said, "The actual rune shard."

She raised her left hand, showing him the partial Inverse Harmonius rune. "Now Sans told me he was using the imprint in some kind of machine when it vanished. If you can show me where it is, I can use it to cancel out all the imprints. No more accidental realities created, at least not by me, and you have my word I'll stay away from any other dimension with an Underground."

"You can shift … without the imprint." Error said, eye-sockets narrowing.

"Well, yeah." Glen said, "It's not as focused as when you do it; pretty much just pot-luck if I end up where I want to go."

"I see." Error said, tapping his cheek softly. "Well, that settles it."

With that, he vanished. Glen looked around for a few moments before calling out, "Uh, Error? I thought you were going to send me home."

"Oh, I am." Error's voice replied from all around her. "And once I find your robot mutt and this shard of yours, I will do just that. In the meantime, you are going to be staying in the Void."

"Uh-huh." Glen said, "And how long do you think it will take?"

"Hundreds, maybe thousands of years. Might even be longer. There are a lot of realities to check, and I'll have to work it into my schedule. Still, I'll find it eventually. You'll be completely insane by then, of course; living in a void tends to do that. Then again, I didn't tell Frisk when I'd see you back home now, did I?"

Glen frowned. "Yeah, if it's all the same, I think I'll just continue looking on my own."

She tried to activate her rune, only to find it unresponsive. She tried to use her normal Dreamer powers, but her Anti-ka Marui barely put off a glow.

"You see, I read up on you too." Error continued, "Dreamers; creatures who can alter reality through their connection with Dreams … only there is no Dream Realm here. There is no reality; there's only the Void."

"Really?" Glen said, "Well, I'll be the judge of that."

"If you wish. Goodbye, Glen; I'll see you around … eventually."

Error vanished without another word, his smile the last part of him to vanish.

"Yeah, thanks for that." Glen said with a grimace. She glanced around, though there really was nothing to see but an endless white expanse. She could feel solid ground beneath her feet, but she left no shadow. Running was pointless, as there was no way to tell if she was making any sort of distance. She tried punching at whatever she was standing on, only for her hand to pass through it. Seeing her hand pass through a space where her foot previously rested was definitely odd.

"All right." Glen said, rolling up her sleeves. "You've forced my hand. Here's hoping this doesn't shatter your little Void into a billion pocket dimensions. Anti-Ka Maru!"

Glen's rune flared to life; even with no Dream Realm, it could pull energy from Glen's own thoughts and emotions giving her enough energy to create a doorway in the endless white void. She almost laughed when she saw it still bore a sign that read, "Please Use Other Door".

Glen opened the door to reveal … nothing. No white expanse, no black void … there was nothing behind the door, the very sight of which boggled Glen's mind. She'd never seen nothing before, and now that she was, she didn't like the look of it at all. Still, what choice did she have?

"Well," Glen said with a shrug, "Here goes nothing."

She stepped through the doorway.


	35. Chapter 34 - The Braid

**Chapter 34**

 **The Braid**

"Can't wait to get back to Nowhere." Golemite said as he and Asriel walked through the temple. "I tink it's about time for us to take a little time off. Y'know, kick our feet up a bit, relax for a change."

"You tired of adventuring already?" Asriel asked, grinning at his friend.

Golemite gave him a playful shove that nearly sent him into one of the murals. "Get outta here. I like adventurin' just fine. I jus' don't wanna be doin' it forever. I miss workin' on the skyway. Don't you? Spendin' a day fixin up a few roads, catchin' dinner at Jenny's place, den goin' home and jus' relaxin' for awhile?"

"You have a point." Asriel said. "But we still have three pieces of the Everstar to go."

"What's da rush? You said you wanted to stay in da Deep, right? We got time."

Asriel didn't respond. Golemite was right, but at the same time, Asriel couldn't ignore the call of the Everstar. Even now, he could feel the shards inside him pulling him towards the others. There was no ignoring it anymore; he needed to finish it.

His eyes were adjusting to the low level of lighting inside the temple enough to appreciate the beauty and smoothness of the carved stone. He could see more of the strange artifacts as well; despite what he'd earlier thought, not everything was on a pedastal or dias; some of it simply lay on the grown beside the related murals.

They'd passed from the murals involving the Everstar. Most of the murals Asriel activated now seemed to involve what appeared to be five warriors in the shape of teddy bears. Their murals always involved fighting some monster or another, though these were true monsters in the truest sense; horrible creatures with groteque forms that destroyed, land, city, and people indiscriminately. Some of the beasts even seemed imbued with the same dark energy Asriel had seen in several Everstar Murals. Nevertheless, the teddies defeated them time after time, though over the course of many murals, all but one of the teddies eventually fell.

Of course, his thoughts continued to slip back to the mural in the shard chamber. The more he thought about it, the more it could only have been showing the future, but how was that possible? Keeper said he recorded history … why would there be an event that had yet to happen?

He was still thinking about it when Golemite stuck out her hand, stopping him instantly.

"Shh!" Golemite said, raising a stone finger to her lips. "I hear somethin'."

Asriel listened, lifting one droopy ear up so he could better hear. After a few moments, he realized he could hear something; someone was whispering, and it was getting louder.

"Could it be dat Keeper guy?" Golemite asked.

Asriel shook his head. "He doesn't need to be stealthy; he knows we're here. I bet he knows right were we are too."

The two adventurers slowed their approach, both making an attempt to be stealthy. This was easier in Asriel's case, but Golemite did her best to muffle her footsteps.

They needn't have bothered; a few minutes of sneaking along brought them to a chamber where someone wearing a pith helmet was very shakily shining a flashlight at the nearby walls, Shye doing her best to hide behind her.

"Sylpha!" Asrie said.

The raccoon-lady nearly dropped her flashlight. Eyes looking even wider because of her glasses, Sylpha opened her mouth to say something, but nothing came out. Shye dashed at Asriel and nearly knocked him to the floor when she leapt at him and wrapped her arms and legs around him in a fierce hug. Mina rubbed against his legs, purring loudly as he stumbled with the added weight of Shye.

"I wasn't gone that long." He said, feeling a little embarressed.

"I know." She said, "But I was worried. Why did you sneak off without me?"

"We didn't sneak off." Golemite said as Asriel tried in vain to extract himself from Shye's grip. "We were trapped."

"Obviously not very well." Shye pointed out.

"Forget 'bout us." Golemite said, "You two okay?"

Sylpha finally managed to find her voice. Nodding nervously, she said, "When we realized you were missing, Bella wanted to double-back but Naddy … Captain Naddy said that you were probably inside."

"So where is the good captain?" Asriel said, Shye finally releasing her leg-grip around his waist.

"I-I don't know." Sylpha said. "I saw them ahead of me one moment, and the next they were just gone."

"Yeah, dat's about right." Golemite said. "Da halls of dis place move around. Sometimes it's subtle, sometimes it's like somefin' outta an action flick. Walls crashin' in, dat kinda ting. It's nuts."

"Why would anyone make such a place?" Slypha asked with a shudder.

"It's some kind of repository of history." Asriel said, approaching the nearest wall. At his touch, light spread across the lines of the mural.

Sylpha watched with wide eyes as the mural depicted a young woman stealing an object from what appeared to be a powerful wizard. Whoever it was did not care much for this, and used some sort of magic on the woman and her family into crows, and captured them all in a massive cage. After years of cruel abuse at the hands of the wizard, a being of light took pity on the crows and set them free, turning them into black-feathered harpies.

"Amazing." Sylpha said, notebook out and pen scribbling furiously. "Are there more of these murals?"

"Yeah, all around us. Every wall has one." Asriel said, gesturing. "Some even have artifacts near them, things with some relation to the stories told by the murals. This whole place is some kinda museum."

"Artifacts?" Sylpha said, interest clearly piqued.

"Easy." Golemite said. "Can't take anythin' from this place without givin' somthin' back."

"Fascinating!" Sylpha said, already moving to another wall. She tenatively placed a hand on it, wincing in anticipation of pain that never came as the mural came to life. This one showed a great battle between an army of centaurs fighting an army of beings with luminescant skin and wings, bringing fireflies to Asriel's mind. The two clashed, the centaurs under the moonlight and the fireflies under the sun until both sides were decimated by a third party, a figure comprised of both light and darkness. The survivors from both groups left, the centaurs taking the moon with them as the Soliciens took the light, leaving only the twilight sky.

"Who were these people?" Sylpha wondered aloud. "Why were they fighting? Are any still around? Was this their temple? I have so many questions!"

So did Asriel, but before he could voice any of his own, they heard Naddy shout, "Oy! You guys!"

Captain Naddy and Sylpha arrived via a side passage, both looking excited.

"This place is amazing!" Bella said. "I mean, have you seen some of the things they've got on display?"

"You mean like the murals?" Shye asked, pointing a clawed finger at the wall activated by Sylpha.

Bella hurried over to the mural herself, and stared up at it eagerly. From his experience with her sisters, Asriel guessed she was already working out a way to turn a profit. He nearly snorted as the mental image of the lamia guiding tours through the temple and selling stuffed golem dolls and balloon Keepers to monster children passed through his head.

"Buncha old junk, if ya ask me." She said, leaning against the nearest wall with her hands behind her head.

"Junk?" Sylpha said, a shocked look on her face. "Naddy, this is history! Events from beyond the Deep!"

"Well, yeah." Naddy said, trying and failing to feign interest. "I, uh, mean that goes without sayin'. I just expected there to be more valuable stuff given all the security. Y'know, gold, jewels, magical artifacts … that kinda thing."

"But this is valuable!" Sylpha said. Asriel was a little surprised; Sylpha seemed a little angry. "These murals indicate there is so much more out beyond the Deep! Ancient civilizations, monsters we've never encountered before, entire lands we never knew existed! More than ever, it looks like the Deep is only a small part of something so much larger! How could treasure be worth more than that?"

"Easily, if you're a pirate." Bella said off-handedly.

Naddy's eyes went wide. "What?"

"A pirate?" Shye said excitedly.

"Oh, come on." Bella said, looking at the shocked expressions on the others' faces. "I can't be the only one who guessed. Nadalie Ryleena the … what, third?"

"The fifth, actually." Naddy said, eyes narrowing. "I knew I should've had that statue blown up."

'Statue?" Asriel said, before an image of a pirate mermaid with a sharp-toothed smile popped in his head. "Wait, the statue in Starhaven was …"

"My great, great grandmother." Naddy said with pride.

"One of the best traders of the glass sea." Bella said, shaking her head. "When did your family stop being merchants and start working on the other side?"

"When it stopped paying." Naddy said with a sneer. "Can't fill an empty stomach with old stories and nostalgia. Back then, there weren't many who would even brave the Glass Ocean. My great-great-grandmother was one of the few. She took out so many pirates that the sight of her flag was enough to send them running. And how was she repaid? By every idiot with a boat moving in and taking away her business. She was lucky; the money didn't run out until my grandmother's time."

"So you became pirates?" Asriel asked, unable to keep the incredulity from his voice.

"I prefer 'lady of fortune'." Naddy said, straightening her collar. "Not that there's much fortune to be had these days, what with all the traffic to Gealle and their stupid amusement park."

"Okay." Golemite said, "So yer a pirate. What, was the plan to turn on us, leave us stranded here or somethin'?"

"No!" Naddy said, her eyes darting to Sylpha. "Look, I've done some bad stuff before, and I ain't proud of how I found you, but I ain't tryin' to double-cross ya. Truth is …"

Naddye sighed and rubbed her forehead. "Truth is, I ain't much of a pirate any more."

"What are you talking about?" Bella said, clearly surprised by this revelation. "Tales of the Ruby-Eyed Rogue …"

"That was Mom." Sighing again, Naddy said, "Look, it started off good; knock over a few ships, get a few good hauls, but no one wants to be a pirate forever these days. One by one, my crew just up and left. My last first mate left to become a cloud farmer in the Precious Meadows, for the Creator's Sake! I got real good and mad about it at first, but truth is, they're right. Being a pirate just isn't fun anymore."

"Then we started hearing stories about the Brass Woods, and the Precious Meadows beyond." Naddy said, waving at Asriel. "Stuff beyond the Edge. I was ecstatic; sailed out to the Edge myself hopin' to find the next new frontier, a new place full of adventure and plunder … er, business opportunities. I'd seen the temple and all those golems, but without a crew, I knew I didn't have a chance. Then you two show up, lookin' to find the Edge."

Naddy kicked at the base of one of the murals. "I was so sure I'd find somethin' valuable here, maybe even something that'll let me go back into the family business." Her shoulders slumped as she walked away from the group. "But all there is is junk."

"Naddy …" Sylpha said, reaching for the lizard woman's arm only for the Captain to pull it out of her reach.

"Just … let me stew for a while, okay?" Naddy said. "Get whatever it is you want from this place. Might as well not make the entire trip a waste."

"It's a shame." Bella said as Naddy walked away from the group. "I knew her mother; quite the scallywag. Never had someone buy me a drink after trying to rob me."

"My word." Sylpha said. "Was she arrested?"

"Nah, there was no Coastal Security Force back then. Fair enough, in my opinion; any trader too cheap to hire security deserves what they get." Her smile faded. "I offered to give her some money, but she was so proud … so stubborn. Sounds familiar?"

"A bit, yes." Sylpha said before slowly approaching another mural, an unhappy look on her furry face.

Asriel moved to activate one himself, but stopped as something occurred to him. Turning to Bella, he said, "You knew she was a pirate all along?"

"Of course."

"And you didn't say anything to us?"

Bella opened her mouth to reply when a loud "Aha!" sounded through the corridors.

"Now that's more like it." Naddy's voice echoed across the corridors. "Hey, everyone! Come take a look at this!"

Asriel and Golemite exchanged curious glances before leading the group in the direction of Naddy's voice. Asriel was almost sure the corridors would shift to cut her off given his luck, and was therefore surprised to find her standing just outside a massive circular stone door.

"C'mon!" Naddy shouted, already pushing against one side of the door.

"Uh, are you sure that's a good idea?" Asriel said.

Naddy let out a grunt. "You kiddin'? A door like this, you know they've got somethin' special tucked away. You gonna help me push, or what?"

Asriel wanted to argue, but curiosity was setting in. The Keeper indicated the temple was open to anyone, so the sight of a closed door was rather curious. If nothing else, he wanted to see what lay beyond the door as well, even if he could have sworn he felt a strange feeling of anticipation as he neared the doorway.

Naddy and Asriel pushed together against the side of the door to absolutely no effect. It wasn't until Asriel was about to suggest that perhaps the door didn't open that way that he felt the stone shift … slightly.

"We need more muscle." Naddy turned around and shouted, "Golemite!"

Golemite came running moments later, only to slow her jog at the sight of them. Letting out a sigh, he asked, "What are you two doin'?"

"Trying to open this door, genius." Naddy said. "You wanna lend us those stone muscles of yours?"

Rolling her eyes, Golemite put her massive hands against the stone and pushed. The stone shifted again, though not nearly as much as Asriel had been expecting. Naddy and Asriel moved beside the stone woman and pushed as well, and were rewarded by the stone door slowly swinging open.

"Oy!" Naddy shouted. "Sylpha! Bella! Cat girl! Get over here!"

They were soon joined by the others, Shye looking distinctly annoyed. They didn't ask any questions when they saw the group pushing, simply joining in with the throng. The door was about a foot open, just enough to reveal a crack of the room beyond. Lights danced along the opening as though someone were hosting the universe's quietest rave beyond.

The door suddenly gave way, the resistance reducing so suddenly that Asriel stumbled forward and fell face-first into the room beyond. Hearing gasps from the others along with an amazed sounding, "Don't dat beat all?" from Golemite, Asriel pushed himself up.

They were in the doorway of a massive spherical chamber so large that it seemed impossible to have fit inside the island, let alone the temple itself. The chamber was filled with floating stone slabs slowly circling around something in the very center, something that was the source of the strange light. As Asriel watched, wisps of light swirled around the chamber only to etch themselves into one of the slabs, forming the beginnings of a mural.

"Whoa." Asriel said as the story came to life in front of his eyes, this time concerning a strange blue creature with blue eyes, oversized wings, and three multi-colored tendrils trailing from the top of its head. "What is this?"

No one replied. The immensity of the chamber, the strange energy in the air, and even the swirling colors of the light themselves had most of them mesmerized … most of them. Naddy was on her feet and running within moments, heading straight for the center of the chamber. Asriel managed to make himself follow her as well, the uneasiness he felt outside the chamber intensifying.

Even at a full run, it took several minutes to reach the center of the massive chamber. It was worth it though; from there, Asriel could see the center completely. Thousands, perhaps even millions of individual strands of the mysterious light shone from the center, coiled about like a massive braid. It writhed about as though alive while individual threads pulled away from the braid to write themselves on one of the circling slabs of stone.

The immensity of it all had Asriel at a loss for words. He didn't know what he was looking at, but he could tell it was big, both literally and figuratively speaking. He was still staring wonderingly at it when without warning, it all stopped.

"Wha …?" Asriel said, his gaze falling to the very center of the chamber, where Naddy stood. She turned, a massive mutli-colored jewel as big as a beach ball in her arms with more facets than the young bossun could even count. Just looking at it made his head swirl.

"Naddy." Asriel said, a pit opening in the base of his stomach. "What did you do?"

"Just takin' a souvenier." She said with a wide grin. "Just look at this beauty; with this, I can live like a queen … like an empress for the rest of my life!"

One of the stone slabs slammed into the floor of the chamber just a few yards away from where Asriel stood, sending a tremor through the stone floor. Asriel and Naddy looked at each other for a moment before slowly raising their gazes up to the upper parts of the chamber. As they watched, more of the slabs fell, some floating slowly and others falling with frightening speed.

Naddy was off in an instant, leaving Asriel to scramble to follow moments later when another slab buried itself in the stone where the Captain once stood. More and more stone slabs fell to the floor as he ran to the exit. He was pretty sure he could hear Golemite and Shye shouting after him to hurry, which he couldn't help but feel was a pretty silly thing for them to say when he clearly was running as fast as his legs could carry him. He had to; stone slabs wre falling everywhere, shaking the chamber as though it were caught in a massive Earthquake. Several times, he had only seconds to dart out from the path of a falling slab. He stopped trying to keep an eye on Naddy and focused on not ending up as a Dreemurr pancake.

Somehow, in spite of the odds and his own certainty that he was seconds away from a very crushing end, Asriel managed to make it to the safety of the doorway. Golemite and Shye caught Asriel before he collapsed from exhaustion, and helped him move with the group out into the corridor as the last of the slabs fell to the ground with a final chamber-shaking tremor. After a few moments, everything went eerily silent, save for Naddy and Asriel's attempts to regain their breath.

Asriel was still struggling to breath when he heard Sylpha ask, "What happened?"

Thinking she was talking to him, Asriel raised his head only to realize that the researcher was talking to Captain Naddy.

"Nice find, eh?" Naddy said, resting against the side of the massive crystal she'd carried from the center of the room. "And there I was, thinkin' this whole trip was a waste."

"Are you okay?" Shye asked, concern in her eyes as Asriel coughed out some of the dust he'd inhaled during his escape.

"Yeah." He said before shooting a glance. "No thanks to Naddy."

"Hey!" She said, glaring at him. "I saw an opportunity, and I took it."

Sylpha looked from Asriel to Naddy. "I don't understand. What just happened?"

"That crystal Naddy stole? It was making the murals … at least, until Naddy took it."

"It's treasure. I'm a pirate." Naddy said irritably as she tried in vain to wipe the dust from her coat. "That's how this works, remember?"

"You nearly got us killed!"

"No risk, no gain."

Sylpha rubbed her elbows. "I dunno, Naddy … Captain Naddy … that room seemed kinda important."

"Hey, if it was important, they would've had a more secure door guarding it, yeah?" Naddy said with a laugh. "I mean, there are golems all over the place here, yet we only needed one to open the passage. Might as well have just left the door open, yeah?"

"I don't know." Sylpha said, looking worried. "Maybe you shouldn't have taken it."

"Relax, milady." Naddy said, giving Sylpha her best smile. "It's all okay. Once we're out of here, and I sell this beauty, you and I can laugh about this over dinner."

"Dinner?" Sylpha said, blushing. "I … oh … that sounds, um … nice."

"Doesn't it just?" Naddy picked up the jewel with a slight grunt and said, "Now, if everyone's done with whatever it is we're doing here, I'd like to go back to the ship and secure this little beauty."

"W-well, I suppose I've recorded enough murals, but-" Sylpha said, still looking uncertain.

"Excellent. Come on then; let's get moving!" Naddy said, already heading down the corridor.

Asriel moved to follow, but Shye held him back for a moment.

"Are you okay?" She asked, worry in her eyes. "That was really close."

"I'm okay." He said, his gaze going back to Captain Naddy. "But I don't like this."

"Yeah, she's kinda a jerk, isn't she?"

Asriel looked at Shye for a moment before letting out a laugh. Just like that, he felt the tension ease from his chest.

"Yeah." He said. "She was right though; we found the shard, but it's not like we can share it."

"S'okay." She told him, ruffling his ears. "Ain't why I came along anyway."

Asriel asked, "Why did you come with us?"

She smiled and gave him a small kiss on the cheek. "It's a secret."

He stared after her as she skipped to catch up with Sylpha and Naddy. A chuckle from Golemite made him finally wrench his gaze away from Shye, only to find his best friend grinning at him.

"When's the wedding?" Golemite asked.

"Oh, shut up." Asriel said before following after Shye and the others.


	36. Chapter 35 - Passably Possible

**Chapter 35**

 **Passably Possible**

The corridors of the temple twisted and turned every which way, sometimes even leading to stairways leading up or down. The murals still gave off light, much to Asriel's relief; he was afraid the strange crystal had powered them in some way.

Just as Asriel was starting to wonder if they'd ever see the surface again, the group rounded a corner and found themselves in a hallway with the bright light of the sun at the far end.

"Hell yeah!" Golemite said. "The way out! 'Bout time!"

"Thank goodness." Bella said, pausing to pop her back. "It'll be nice to feel the sun on my scales."

Shye gave Asriel a smack on the arm. "Race ya outside?"

"You're on … hey!" Asriel quickly ran to catch up with the already departed Shye.

The two children reached the entrance almost simultaneously … almost. Shye was still doing her victory dance around an out-of-breath Asriel when Bella caught up with them.

"My word." Bella said, shielding her eyes. "Was it always this bright out here?"

They stared out of the entrance at the still-shifting structure of the temple. It came a something of a relief to Asriel, as he'd been certain Naddy's theft had broken something important. No, the temple was the same as before, from the changing walls and walkways to the bizarre gumball-machine tower. Golems were still everywhere, the closest just down the walkway, where he seemed to be examining the stone path with the unerring attention of a stone construct, only to glance briefly in the direction of the entrance at the sound of heavy stone footsteps announcing Golemite's arrival.

"We see any temples in the Wandering Meadows, we're gonna turn around and go back to Nowhere." Golemite said, stretching her arms. "Seen enough of dis place for a lifetime."

"Don't tell me you're gonna leave without telling all your kin goodbye." Bella said with a mischievous smile.

"Ugh!" Golemite stomped over to the nearby golem and wheeled him around.

"Tell me straight," Golemite said to the golem. "We don't look nothin' alike, yeah?"

The golem glanced her up and down for a moment before shaking his stone head.

"So we're not cousins?"

"Don't tink so."

"You sure?"

"I'd remember if my cousins were dat pretty."

Golemite's eyes brightened. She grabbed the golem by his shoulder and raised an etched stone hand threateningly. "You wanna say dat again, punk?"

Several of the other golems watching chuckled at their friend, who seemed to be unable to think of a better response than, "I'm sorry, Miss! I didn't mean no harm!"

"Who do ya think you're callin' Miss?"

Realizing he'd better say something, Asriel stepped forward only for a cry from Sylpha to make him whirl back around.

Sylpha was standing beside Bella, but her eyes were on Naddy. The captain stood just inside the entrance, a surprised look on her face. As Asriel watched, she stepped forward again, only for something to push her back.

"What gives?" Naddy growled. "This some kinda joke?"

She slammed into the barrier again, only to stagger back as though something had pushed her. A frantic look in her eye, Naddy took a running start, only to be knocked back.

"What the hell is this?" Naddy demanded. "Who's doin' this to me?"

"You took something." Asriel said, realization pouring over him. "But you didn't leave anything in its place."

"Leave something?" Naddy said. "I ain't leavin' a damn thing!"

As she spoke those words, a sudden tremble shook the ground. Every golem present (save Golemite, who was still yelling at the one she was holding) froze and turned to look at the entrance.

The Keeper had said it would upset the guardians. Asriel assumed he meant the golems. It hadn't occurred to him that there might be something else in the ruins, not until skeletal claws erupted from the dirt. He watched as across the courtyard and surrounding the temple, skeletal forms that could only be described as bestial rose from the earth. Muscle and thick leathery skin appeared on the creatures as they turned their sights on Naddy.

One skeletal claw erupted from the walkway as another of the creatures pulled itself from the ground no less than ten feet from Asriel. A large one-eyes head whipped around to look straight at Naddy, its maw opening to reveal row after row of jagged teeth. The thing moved toward them on six legs, a long purple tongle lolling out from its mouth in anticipation. Asriel drew his sword, only for the creature to stop only feet away as Keeper appeared between it and Asriel's team.

The Keeper threw off his cloak to reveal metal armor and a small wooden toy sword at his side. Most shockingly, his head was that of a Teddy Bear.

The beast let out a roar and rushed at Keeper, only for the Teddy to draw his wooden sword and slash at it. Light erupted from the blade, easily extending the reach of the blade a good five feet … enough to sever the beast's head and send tumbling across the ground.

"Whoa!" Golemite said, eyes glowing bright. "Not bad!"

"Thank you." The Keeper said shorty. "Now put it back."

"Tough nuggets." Naddy said, clutching the crystal, "It's mine now."

"Look around you." Keeper said, pointing his wooden sword around the courtyard, where golems were fighting a losing battle with the creatures as even more emerged from the ground around them. "Do you really think you can stop them all?"

"Well, it's mine now!" Naddy tried again to leave, and was again shoved back.

She let out a growl of frustration before removing her captain's hat and tossing it back into the corridor. "There! I left something!"

"It won't-" Keeper sighed as Naddy was again bounced back. "You have to leave it at the same place as what you took, and that's just for normal things. The Eye was not meant to be moved! It must to be returned!"

"Naddy," Sylpha said, clutching the captain's arm. "Please … I'm scared."

Naddy stared at her for a few moments before sighing and saying, "Fine, I'll bring the bloody thing back!"

"You better go with her, Azzie." Golemite said as the captain hurried away, swearing under her breath.

"What about you?" Asriel asked.

Golemite jerked a thumb at the golems. "I'm gonna get a piece of dat action."

"Okay … be careful, okay?" Asriel said before hurrying after the captain.

Golemite charged into the fray, grabbing one beast by the tail and whipping it around over her head like a lasso before bringing it slamming down against another of the beasts. "Careful, Schmareful! I'm gonna kick some ass! Now get goin' already!"

Unable to suppress a small grin, Asriel nodded and hurried back into the corridor after Captain Naddy. Shye and Mina followed him, as did Sylpha, to his surprise. The Raccoon lady had a determined look on her face even as the corridors rumbled from the outside fight. Naddy was moving fast, even with the crystal. Nevertheless, the race back through the corridors was nothing short of terrifying; the strange beasts tore erupted from the ceiling, the floor, and even the murals as though (or, Asriel surmised, because) they could detect the massive crystal. They certainly focused on Naddy.

Naddy, on the other hand, was ready for them. Her cutlass appeared in her hand with a shimmer of purple light before she swung. Whatever the blade was, it cut through bone with no effort, leaving more than one creature headless. Asriel helped as he could; his remaining crystal blade may have seemed small in comparison to Naddy's cutlass (which itself was easily as long as he was tall), but the merest slice sent the beasts running, their high-pitched screams sounding through the corridors for a few moments before stopping once they were out of his line of sight. That was not to say Shye and Sylpha weren't helping. Sylpha's magic summoned spinning circular blades that tore through the creatures' flesh and bone, and Shye produced a small dagger which she used to great effect, leaping on to the beasts's heads and slashing out their eyes, Mina often helping with her tiny (but sharp) claws.

By the time they reached the massive stone door, the group was practically covered in the dust of the strange creatures. The group fought to catch their breath while not inhaling too much of their foes, but Asriel could feel the rumblings of more creatures on the way.

They hurried into the massive chamber, climbing over the fallen slabs until they were more or less in the middle of the room. There, Naddy pulled off her hat and dropped it before shouting, "There! I left something in return! We're even, yeah?"

For a few moments, an eerie silence was her only response. The group jumped as one as a beast burst from the ceiling, its maw open. Naddy brought up her blade, but still caught a slash on the shoulder from the descending creature's teeth before it fell to dust at their feet.

"Dammit." She muttered, holding a hand over her arm.

"Are you okay?" Sylpha asked, hovering worriedly at the Captain's side.

"Yeah, I'm good. I'm …" Naddy's eyes widened. "WATCH OUT!"

One of the beasts stealthily slid across the floor while the group was distracted. Naddy tried to shove past Sylpha and block her, but the creature struck fast, sinking the brunt of its teeth into Sylpha's arm. Sylpha let out a shriek of pain as the creature's jaws tightened.

Naddy's cutlass slashed through the beast's neck, killing it instantly. As the head fell away, however, it was clear Sylpha was badly hurt; her arm bore deep gashes from the teeth, some having cut right to the bone, and chunks of flesh had been torn away altogether.

"Easy there!" Naddy said, tearing off the bottom of her shirt as a makeshift bandage. "You're gonna be fine, sweetie."

Sylpha was hyperventilating. Asriel could tell she was going into shock, and a swear from Naddy made it clear she knew as well. He looked at the pirate captain and was surprised to find her nothing short of distraught.

"Easy." Naddy said, helping Sylpha to the floor. "Just … just rest, okay? Take deep breaths. I'm gonna make this right."

"Shye! Stay with her!" Naddy bellowed before tossing the crystal aside and grabbing one of the murals with her bare hands. With a roar, she picked up the entire slap and hurled it aside.

Asriel stared at her in amazement even as the mural crashed against the far wall. "Wow!"

"I'm Captain Ruby-Eye Ryleena the Fifth!" She snarled as she lifted mural after mural into the air. "The strongest, smartest, and slickest pirate of the Glass Ocean, and I ain't lettin' her die!"

More of the beasts arrived, but to an enraged pirate captain capable of throwing enormous stone slabs, they were little more than target practice. Still, as Naddy drew near the floor, she came to a massive tableau that even she couldn't lift. She grunted and strained, but the mural didn't shift.

"Sylpha?" Came Shye's panicked shout, "Miss Sylpha? Can you hear me? Naddy, she's passing out!"

"Come on!" Naddy said through clenched teeth as she tried in vain to move the slab. "Move you bastard!"

Not sure what else to do, Asriel tried to help. He lifted the stone with everything he had, and only succeeded in making his arms hurt.

Falling back, he said, "It's too heavy! We need Golemite!"

"Golemite ain't here!" Naddy shouted, "And we don't have time to go get him!"

Time seemed to slow around Asriel. He became keenly aware of his surroundings; Sylpha lying on a bare mural behind him while Shye held her good hand, Naddy in front of him trying in vain to lift the impossibly large stone slab covering the dias.

Asriel grabbed the slab as well, despite the fact even Golemite would've had trouble lifting it. He strained with all he had to absolutely no effect. Still he tried, to no avail … until he felt something inside him break free.

Vines shot from his fingertips, creeping across the moral and wrapping around every corner. Naddy let go and backed away from Asriel, her eyes wide as the vines continued to spread, grabbing nearby stone slabs for support. Slowly, the slab rose from the ground until it was high enough to slide over the slabs and out of the way.

Asriel let out a gasp as the vines retracted, Flowey's powers sliding back inside him with a certain air of smug satisfaction. He caught his flower-self's smile between blinks for a few moments before it vanished, the words, "You owe me," whispering in his ears.

Naddy wasted no time in grabbing the crystal, even as beasts burst from the nearby walls, heading straight toward them. The moment she set the crystal back onto the dias, a bright flash enveloped the room.

Asriel blinked. He was standing on the empty floor of the chamber, thousands of blank murals again above him and circling the strange braid of lights in the center of the room.

"Wha …?" He said, turning around to see Naddy standing beside the dias, her hands positioned to grab it.

From the look of confusion on her face, she was as surprised at this outcome as he was. She lowered her arms and stepped away from the central dias as though it might explode.

"Naddy! Asriel!" Cried a familiar voice. "Are you okay?"

"Sylpha?" Naddy said, looking over at the raccoon woman. Sylpha stood by Golemite, Bella, and Shye, waving at them with a concerned look on her face. The others looked mere curious, or bored in Golemite's case. It was as though …

"As though none of that happened." Asriel said.

He glanced at Naddy, who shivered and said, "Let's just get out of here, all right?"

"Aren't you even curious about what you just experienced?"

They both turned to see Keeper, his hood pushed back to reveal his teddy-bear face. He regarded them with a knowing smile.

"Okay," Naddy said, "I'll bite. What just happened?"

"You touched the lens of the Braid." Keeper said, gesturing up at the multitude of threads in the center of the chamber. "When you touched it, you saw a possible future. Asriel was close by, so he saw it as well."

"And the others?" Naddy asked, a slight look of nervousness in her eye. "Did they see everything?"

"Rest assured, they only saw you two heading for the Eye of the Braid." Keeper said kindly.

Naddy blushed and rubbed the back of her head. "Look … I'm sorry about …"

"I don't know what you mean." Keeper said, that same knowing grin on his place. "After all, if you'd taken the gem, the murals would've fallen. Do they appear to have fallen to you?"

Asriel and Naddy glanced up at the floating murals as Keeper continued, "This chamber holds a connection to the Braid, an infinite collection of possibilities that flows through the Realm. When a thread of the Braid becomes reality, it writes itself on a mural, and is placed within the palace. The crystal merely acts as a filter, reducing the probability threads to a more manageable number."

Asriel said, "There was a mural back where I found the shard, but it had to be of-"

"The future?" The Keeper guessed. When Asriel nodded, The Keeper continued, "It has happened before. Murals depicting future events slipping through. I used to try and screen them out, but I believe they exist for a purpose. You see, murals of alternate outcomes seem to appear when someone must make a choice of great importance. Given what you carry within you, it does not surprise me that you found such a mural."

Asriel shuddered. "But how do I avoid it? How do I know what choice I need to make?"

"Avoiding the future is impossible. The best you can do is try and find a future you can live with. As for me, thanks to you, this temple can resume its journey through the realm. This will disappoint your friend, Sylpha. However, I believe if you return to the Edge and wait for a few hours, you will see something that will cheer her up again ... and will be quite profitable to you, Captain Ryleena."

"Yeah?" Naddy said, sounding hopeful.

"Hey!"

Asriel was forcibly turned around by Shye, who was looking at him with concern. "Are you zoning out again?"

"Huh?"

"You've both been staring at nothing for the last five minutes. Are you okay?"

"Yeah." Naddy said, clapping Asriel on the back. "We're great! We were just talkin', is all."

"Oh. Okay." Shye leaned to the side of Asriel, her eyes on the crystal. "Ooh! What did you find?"

"Nothing!" Asriel and Naddy said in unison, a note of panic in their voices. Quickly recovering, Naddy said, "Thought it might be valuable, but it's just glass."

Shye looked at them suspiciously. "Are you too all right? You're acting really weird."

"Er …" Asriel looked at Naddy who shrugged and said, "Weird? Nah. Just ready to get back home, is all. Right, Azzie?"

Asriel glanced back behind him to find the Keeper was gone. Naddy shrugged at him, indicating she didn't know where he'd gone either.

"Right." Asriel said. "C'mon; let's get out of here."


	37. Epilogue - Resolutions

**Epilogue**

 **Resolutions**

Asgore and Toriel waited at the front entrance of what had been Site 37, hand-in-hand with Frisk. She'd insisted on being there, despite the danger. Toriel fussed over her, which brought a smile to Asgore's face. Even if this was to be their end, for a short time, they were a family again.

The fighting had died down finally; the GOC and Serpent's hand were the longest hold-outs, but eventually even they were pushed back by the most powerful of groups the mysterious Glen had called for aid. Now the leader of the last group standing was requesting an audience.

"Okay." Asgore said, glancing back at Alphys and nodding. "Open the entrance."

Tight-lipped, Alphys nodded. Moments later, the stone walls covering the entrance to Site 37 slid open, revealing … a woman in a colorful labcoat.

Both Toriel and Asgore stared as she walked forward and extended her hand, giving them a smile full of brilliant white teeth.

"I must say, I am very excited to finally make your acquaintances!" She said, shaking Asgore's hand with the force of a pneumatic pump. "Ever since your emergence, I've been dying to meet you face to face! My word, you're a stately one, aren't you?"

Turning to Toriel and pumping her arm as well, the strange woman said, "And you, you would be Miss Toriel?"

"Queen Toriel." Toriel said, smiling at her husband. He squeezed her hand as she added, "But Tori is just fine."

"Oh, more than fine! Tori is a fantastic name! Simply fantastic! Now before we speak of our no doubt long and prosperous friendship and collaboration, beginning with the settlement of your people on the surface under the wonderful light and warmth of the sun, I must ask …"

She moved closer and looked into their eyes hopefully. "Were my tricks and toys helpful to you in retaking your home? I sincerely hope they were. And my wonderful Misters and Missus?"

Toriel and Asgore exchanged surprised glances. Eventually, it was Toriel who said, "You are Doctor Wondertainment?"

The woman reached up to pull off her hat, only to seem to realize that she didn't have one. She pulled a disc from her pocket, stretched it until it was a foot long, and tapped it in the center, at which it turned into a colorful top hat. She placed this on her head before taking it off again and bowing respectfully to Toriel and Asgore.

"Indeed I am! Creator and Innovator of wonderful things! But you don't have to use my formal title; never was much for formalities myself. Seeing as I'm sure we're to be good friends, you can call me by my first name, which is-"

"Glenda?" Asgore said. There was no doubt about it; the face was identical to the woman who'd helped them take the core. He could even see the rune beneath her right glove.

Glenda laughed and patted Toriel and Asgore on the back. "My word! You are clever, aren't you? I suppose I shouldn't be surprised, though I certainly was when I asked for my own help yesterday! Speaking of my other self, is she still here?"

"I'm afraid not." Asgore said. "I believe she was taken back to her own reality."

"Ah, yes, well that's not surprising. Dreamers like us, we move around all the time! In any case, yes, Glenda is my name, though don't be afraid to call me Glen. I prefer it, actually!"

"Professor Glen, your contribution was invaluable. I honestly don't know if we could've done it without your donations; most of the remaining SCP is still under the thrall of Miss Melody."

"Ha! Fantastic!" Glen said, claspin her hands together. "I do love a good musical! Now, shall we have a seat and discuss your upcoming move to the surface? I've already taken the liberty of ensuring that the SCP will be of no more bother to you or your kind."

"Really?" Asgore asked, intruiged. "How, exactly?"

"Oh, it's a simple enough matter. Boring, actually. Say, have you considered a settlement in Texas? Lovely place; I'm from there myself, though you probably guessed that from the accent."

Still talking, Glenda Wondertainment walked side-by-side with the Queen and the King of the Underground and Frisk, who was now smiling and wearing Glenda's colorful hat. Minutes later, every news station on the planet would broadcast the tale of the peaceful monsters and their return to the surface. The SCP was not mentioned (the reports described them as an independent military organization), a move that the mysterious O5 Council accepted as an offering if not of friendship, then at least peace. In the years to come, humanity and the many races of monsters would unite under the name 'Earthlings' as they explored space and found other civilizations … but that is a story for another day.

* * *

Claudia stepped away from the shelf with a smile. "There we go; Marjorie Husted's Collander."

The somewhat rusty old kitchen implement sat silently beside Terry Pratchett's wizard hat and the original Rubik's Cube, the latter of which was spinning silently on its own.

Already, the events of the past few days were fading in her memory, just another bizarre adventure thanks to her job at Warehouse 13. Still, she found herself wondering how everything turned out after she and her friends were sent home.

There was a loud crash from a few aisles over, followed by Papyrus's high-pitched voice shouting, "Stop playing with that! Sans, I'm warning you …"

Claudia grinned as another crash soon followed. Her life was back to normal … at least, as normal as it ever had been.

The buzz of her farnsworth made her jump.

Swearing softly, she pulled out the small metal box and flipped it open.

She said. "Consider Betty Crocker bagged and tagged."

"Yeah, well, until her spatula turns up." Replied Artie. "Get back to the office; the next thing on Glen's little list is proving a bit … problematic."

"Yeah, I kinda figured Pete would play with the legos."

"It's not the Legos. It's … well, see for yourself." The image on the Farnsworth screen shifted as Artie turned his farnsworth to show what appeared to be a large blue police box.

"Now that's retro." Claudia said, grinning. "Was that one on the list?"

"No, but apparently, it just appeared in the middle of London. We're trying to get the doors open right now, but we need-"

"A Doctor?" Claudia finished with a grin.

Artie turned his farnsworth back toward her, showing his grimace. "Very funny. Get back here!"

Claudia shut her farnsworth, still smiling. She slid down the ladder, and was just about to head back when she spotted a glimmer at the very back of a shelf, behind several reams of paper bound in neutralizer-coated cardboard. Experience taught her to avoid the temptation to go poking around with things in the Warehouse, experience that she again ignored as she reached out and picked up the object.

"Huh." She said, turning the dusty crystal in her hand, the imprint of the Inverse Harmonius faintly visible within it. "Isn't this interesting?"

* * *

Mettaton's studio was full to the brim. Most of the audience was from the Underfell Universe, but quite a few locals from UNDR-Ground turned up as well. Toriel of Underfell, her once ragged fur now white and smooth and adorned in a lovely cream-colored dress, slowly walked down the aisle toward a waiting Grillby in a snappy (and fireproof) tuxedo he borrowed from the UNDR-ground's original Grillby. Asriel and Frisk both stood behind him, looking particularly cute in a suit and dress respectively as Asriel held the cushion containing the ring and Frisk held a mostly empty basket of flowers. Wolfrred stood as best man, the wolf-man fidgiting as though resisting the urge to scratch at the ill-fitting suit he'd somehow worn.

Sans watched from the front row, though his attention flickered to Fuku, who was the maid of honor. She winked at him whenever she caught him looking her way as a blushing Toriel moved to stand beside Grillby. The priest, a kindly old man who introduced himself as 'Father Adams' smiled at the couple before beginning the ceremony. It was a short and simple, and after the two exchanged their vows and rings, he seemed all too happy to announce, "You may kiss the bride."

The crowd cheered, none louder than Sans and Fuku. The UNDR-Ground's Toriel was in tears, and both Reiko and her Grillby let off a stream of bright bursts in the air that exploded like fireworks.

Sans was among the first to congratulate the new couple, though the crowd made it impossible for him to get more than a few words in. He eventually ended up standing next to Fuku while the crowd followed the married couple into the next studio, where the reception would be held.

"Went without a hitch." Sans said, winking at Fuku. "Well, there was the one, but that one was okay."

Fuku giggled before slipping her hand into Sans's. She leaned forward to give him a kiss when Sans heard Toriel shout, "Here it comes!"

Fuku and Sans turned as Toriel tossed her bouqet of bright yellow buttercups. Those of the female persuasion jumped for it, but the bouquet sailed just out of their fingertips before landing in the surprised hands of Fuku.

Fuku looked down at the flowers and then at Sans, her cheeks burning pink as several of her nearby friends giggled.

"Wanna go for a walk before hitting the reception?" Sans asked, presenting his arm.

Fuku nodded, and the two walked arm-in-arm out into the twilit evening.

The studio backlots were surprisingly empty as the sun slowly descended into the horizon. Fuku and Sans walked slowly in a strangely tense silence.

Eventually, Sans let out a small cough and said, "It's nice to be back, isn't it?"

"It is." Fuku let out a sigh. "Sans, I know you're worried about Glen."

"Oh." Sans said, rubbing the back of his skull, "Well …"

"I'm worried about her too."

Sans looked at Fuku. "I … didn't expect you to say that."

"She helped you." Fuku said, giving Sans's hand a squeeze. "That's what she does, I think; she wanders around and helps people, even when it'd be easier to just look the other way."

"Bet she'd deny it." Sans said with a soft chuckle. "They say trouble finds those most suited to dealing with it."

"Who said that?" Fuku asked.

"I did." Sans said. "Just another bit of my endless font of wisdom."

They shared a chuckle at that. After another stretch of silence, Sans said, "Um … Fuku, do you remember when I was suggesting that maybe we could, y'know, move in together?"

"Yes?" Fuku asked, her eyes on his.

Sans sighed and rubbed the back of his head. "Well, I was thinking that …"

"Yes?"

"Maybe it's not a good idea."

Fuku stopped walking, a stunned look on her face.

Sans continued, "I mean, we're not engaged; people could get the wrong idea … and then there's me. I mean, I'm a mess. If we moved in, I'd have to start picking up after myself and cleaning. That's a lotta work. I'd have to be … responsible."

"I … I see." Fuku said, bowing her head.

Sans looked at her for a long moment before pulling out the small jewelry box and kneeling down in front of her. Her eyes went wide as he opened the box to reveal the diamond ring and held it out to her. "Fuku, will you-"

"Yes!" She threw her arms around Sans and hugged him tightly for a long moment. Upon release, she punched him in the shoulder, relief mingled in her happy expression. "You bonehead!"

"I'm sorry." He said, rubbing his arm. "I couldn't help myself."

They shared a long kiss before Fuku asked, "So I can move in?"

"As soon as you want." Sans said. "I've even picked up my socks already."

"Uh-huh. I'll believe that when I see it." She gave him another kiss before adding, "And once I get settled in, we can get started."

"Get started?"

She gave him a winning smile. "On finding a way to help Glen, of course. I'll need a maid of honor, after all."

* * *

Asriel, Shye, and Mina sat with their legs poking out of the railing of the good ship Bazooie. They were a fair distance from the Edge, having waited there since the temple slowly vanished into the distance, much to Sylpha and Bella's dismay. They stood by the helm, looking depressed despite the Captain's attempts to cheer them (or more specifically, Sylpha) up.

Asriel was the first to see it. "There!" He said, pointing in the distance.

Everyone looked out past the edge, where the faintest of glimmers could be seen. Naddy frowned and pulled out a spyglass. After staring through it for a few minutes, she let out a whistle. "Now ain't that somethin'?"

"What?" Sylpha asked. "What is it?"

Naddy passed her the spyglass. Sylpha took a moment to adjust the spyglass before peering through it. She let out a gasp and quickly rose to her feet.

"I … I gotta grab my notebook!" She said, hurrying toward the cabin doors. Naddy chuckled and adjusted their course slightly.

The continent heading toward them was covered with a desert of purple sand. There was a magnificent city near the edge as well, it's most prominent feature the massive statue of a veiled woman sitting in a meditative pose in the very center of the city. Even from a distance, Asriel could make out people walking along the multi-tiered walkways between massive sandstone constructs that surrounded the statue.

There were even a few people standing on the shore, pointing and waving excitedly as the continent drew nearer the glass ocean.

"My, my, my." Bella said, smiling as she rose from her coils to join the others watching as the continents connected. "Now that looks like the sort of opportunity I was looking for. You mind carrying cargo, Captain Naddy?"

"It ain't my usual gig, but I'm sure we can work somethin' out." Naddy said, her grin widening.

Golemite let out a sigh from her place at the ship's helm. "Guess we aren't goin' home yet."

"No," Asriel said, glancing back at his friend. "But something tells me we'll get that vacation you wanted after all."

Golemite chuckled and shook her head. "If you say so, Azzie."

Asriel and Shye watched as the Edge of the glass ocean merged seamlessly with the edge of the purple desert. In a matter of moments, it looked as though the Glass Ocean and the desert had always been together.

"Well," Bella said, already moving toward the stairwell that led into the ship. "I'm going to go see about making some new friends."

"I'm coming too!' Shye said, Mina meowing in agreement before bounding after the lamia and the cat girl.

Asriel went to follow as well, only to find his hand stuck. He glanced back at the railing and immediately drew in a surprised breath. Green vines extended from beneath the sleeves of his shirt, wrapping his hand securely to the banister. They slid back almost instantly, but not before Asriel heard Flowey's unsettling giggle surround him.

"I'll be watching, buddy." Flowey's voice whispered as Asriel stared at his hand in horror.

* * *

Jake and Frisk walked through the corridor toward Dreemurr Palace in silence, glitter from their fight with Mettaton falling from clothes and robotic parts to leave a very sparkly path behind them. They entered the elevator waiting at the end of the path without so much as a word between them.

After a few minutes of listening to elevator music, Jake glanced at Frisk; her young face full of worry.

"Hey." He said, gently bumping her side. "It's okay; you heard Alphys. A fresh battery, and he'll be as good as new."

She nodded, but her expression didn't change.

After a few minutes of listening to elevator music, Jake let out a sigh. "Look, I know that was some pretty heavy stuff Al left on you … but y'know, it's not like we have to go fight Asgore. I mean, do you really want to go back to the surface?"

Frisk's hands moved in quick reply. "I want to help them. They didn't deserve this."

"You're a kind kid, Frisk, and you've got a good heart." Sighing, Jake said, "And you know I'll be by your side, no matter what you choose. Thing is, what exactly are we planning on doing? Even if we beat Asgore, that just gets you through the barrier, maybe us if we're clever about it. I've got tricks, but even my plasma cannon isn't gonna be enough to blast through somethin' needin' that much power. That little toy I picked up on Omega might not be enough either, and it's not like I can go and ask the Alliance for help. They're not exactly AI friendly."

"Don't get me wrong." He said. "I'm all for tryin'. It's just, we might be stuck down here for the long-haul. Still, that wouldn't be so bad, would it? All the friends we've made? I mean, even if we can't get in touch with Toriel, I'm sure Sans and Paps would-"

Jake stopped at a sniffle from Frisk. She rubbed her eyes as though trying the force the tears back, but it didn't work; in a matter of moments, she was crying.

"Frisk, hey, come on. You're gonna get me started." Jake's face perked up. "Hang on; I know just the thing."

His back panel opened to reveal a small plastic container. Sniffing, Frisk picked up the container and pulled off the lid to reveal a big piece of cinnamon-butterscotch pie. A small smile spread across her tear-streaked face. She hugged Jake before taking a bite out of the pie.

"See?" Jake said as the little girl quickly finished the pie slice. "Things aren't so bad."

No sooner than the words left his voice synthesizer, the lift came to a shuddering halt. Frisk looked up, worry in her young eyes and graham cracker crumbs on her face.

"O-kay." Jake said, trying his best to sound reassuring. "Just a little hiccup on the power grid. I'm sure everything is fine."

A few moments later, the lift shuddered again before going back to smooth operation.

Jake resisted the urge to let out a sigh. "See? What did I tell ya?"

Frisk raised her hands to respond when the lights in the lift died. Jake felt Frisk's hands grab him moments before he activated his monitor's inbuilt flashlight.

"It's okay." He said, a tremor of nervousness in his voice. "I'm sure it's just …"

Jake and Frisk were thrown to the side. It was as thought some invisible hand grabbed the lift and yanked it about thirty-yards to the side.

"Quick!" He said, fearing the worst as he clambered to his feet."On my back!"

Frisk quickly climbed onto Jake's back. Jake activated the safety program Alphys had installed on him; moments later, several belts flew across Frisk's back, securing her to Jake.

Jake hacked into the elevator remotely, triggering the doors to open and reveal the sight of the elevator in free-fall. Even more disturbing was the lack of a track; the lift apparently functioned by magic, and said magic was gone.

"Don't worry, Frisk." Jake said, suddenly grateful that Finn took the time to install mag-boot subsystems in his legs. "I know just what to do!"

Frisk clutching his back, Jake clilmbed out of the lift. Unfortunately, this caused it to spin in the air. Jake didn't have the biology for naseau, but that didn't make planning his trajectory any easier.

"Steady!" He said as they drew near the top towers of the Core facility. "Now listen; things might get a bit crazy, so just hold on, okay?"

He felt her head nod. Realizing that they were only seconds from smashing into the top of the facility, Jake took a running leap across the back of the lift. He heard the crash of metal as the lift slammed into the tube that normally received it, twisting it beyond all recognition.

The next minute was hectic as Jake landed with difficulty on the various bits and bobs that covered the top of the core facility. Cooling rods, pylons, strange towers with crystals that radiated power and hundreds of metal conduit tubes filled the air. He had to keep moving, as the machinery wasn't meant to be load-bearing, and while Frisk was fairly light, Jake was a robot dog. Still, he managed to keep them airborne while avoiding bursts of steam and swirling magical steam runoff long enough to get them close to a maintenance entrance.

"All right." Jake said as he slowly slid down a vertical wall just opposite the maintenance entrance. "Almost there, Frisk; just hold on for a a bit longer."

He tensed and leapt. For a few moments, he was sure he'd made it. He had the speed and the trajectory dead-on, and yet only feet away from the opening, something suddenly jerked him backwards a good fifteen feet.

Jake didn't have a stomach, but he nevertheless felt something in his mid-section drop as he fell past the door toward the distant lava below. Realizing that he had no way to stop his descent, he shouted, "Frisk! You're gonna have to jump!"

He felt her head shake.

"No, seriously." He said, "That emergency ladder right in front of us; if you kick off from me, you should be able to-"

Her hands tightened around Jake. She wasn't going to abandon him, even if it killed her.

Jake sighed, even as he fell. "All right; there's something else I can try. It might kill us both, but at this point … what the hell?"

Jake clamped his legs against his body, whispered a quick prayer to any robot gods who might be listening, and activated what Finn once referred to as the bottle-rocket booster. Panels in his backside slid open revealing the cobbled-together booster moments before it fired.

In a matter of moments, they were flying upwards in a spiral path. There was no question of steering; Finn hadn't finished calibrating the speed to a controllable level before they investigated the SunCrusher. Still, it got them away from the lava, and by a twist of luck, flying more or less toward Dreemurr Palace.

Jake saw two small arms shoot out on either side of his back. Frisk was enjoying herself, despite the fact that if he didn't figure out a way to slow down, they'd be hitting the palace walls with the force of a small comet.

Without warning, however, Jake felt something pull at them. It was just like the previous times, only this time it kept pulling. Dreemurr Palace hung in his vision for a few moments before being replaced with the tall shelves of a massive library all around them.

Jake yelped and cut off his booster even as his momentum carried him through the shelves with enough force to knock books off shelves. After missing the top edge of a shelf by mere inches, Jake could only watch as he fell toward a tall figure standing on the floor below. He had just enough time to notice the figure raising its hand before something stopped him and Frisk dead in mid-air, only three feet away from the figure.

A white skeletal face with a large crack running down it smiled down at them. "Ah, there you are. If I might ask, where were you a few moments ago?"

"Uh, outside the Core."

"Ah." The skeleton said, nodding his head. "That explains it. The emenations from the core can cause … odd behavior in magic, particularly that which seeks to affect it from outside time and conventional reality."

"Oh." Was all Jake could think to say.

The tall skeleton lowered his hand, Jake in turn slowly descending until his feet touched the floor. Frisk slid from his back the moment he deactivated the safety belts, the little girl moving unsteadily toward the nearest bookshelf to steady herself.

"You okay?" Jake asked, not feeling at all steady himself. She gave him a nod and a brief smile before sinking to the floor with her back against the bookshelf.

"My apologies." The tall skeleton said, giving them a sweeping bow. "I realize this manner of summons is likely unexpected, but I'm afraid it was necessary. But where are my manners? I've yet to introduce myself. My name is Professor Gaster."

* * *

Somewhere Underground, in an abandoned lab long since forgotten, or perhaps in a place that was only a memory of such a lab, there was a marvelous machine. It sat in the center of a room filled with monitors, itself a magnificent array of vials, circuitry, and ingeniously cobbled-together devices that, when activated, could do the unimaginable … all thanks to the shining rune fragment whose light glowed brightly from within the depths of the machine.

The Starkid, the solid black outline of a child whose only light came from her eyes and the glowing Everstar shard on her chest, stared at the monitors surrounding the device. She saw the arrival of Glen in Ebott after Finn Cresste and his team narrowly escaped the Illusive Man's Sun-Cruncher. She saw Sans prepare himself for a final battle that turned out to be far from his last. She watched as the Dreamer and the Skeleton faced adversaries both apart and together, and come out victorious time and time again in reality after reality.

She also watched as the dog found Frisk and eventually regained his soul, and as the two travelled through the Underground as so many Frisks had, unique in that they had each other. She saw them taken by the tall skeleton, whose hands once helped craft the machine in the center of the room.

More than anything, she watched Asriel, her little brother, as he found his way to the Deep, and his quest to find the shards of the Everstar. From Nowhere to the Precious Meadows, the Glass Ocean to the Temple of Memory, she followed her adoptive sibling's path, rejoicing in his victory and shared in his fears of the flower within him.

Even as she smiled at her friend meeting the people of Garange, the Oasis city of the purple desert now a coastal city of the Glass Ocean, an unpleasant giggle from inside the chamber made her smile falter.

"It's all going according to plan." A voice said, floating past her ears. "The pieces are set. It's only a matter of time before they get here."

"No." The Starkid said, shaking her head. "I won't let it happen."

"Why are you fighting me?' The voice whispered. "Admit it; we both want the same thing."

"No, we don't." Starkid said, still watching the monitor showing her foster brother. "Asriel will stop you, and if he doesn't, I will."

"You?" The voice giggled and said, "There's not even enough of you to form a full person! You're only a schrade, a shadowy reflection living on borrowed time. What can you hope to do?"

The Starkid was silent for a long moment before she turned to face the machine. "I'll stop you. I'll find a way."

"How can you stop me?" The voice whispered, "After all …"

The machine pulsed as though alive. Starkid took a step back, the bright points that were her eyes widening as light from the machine briefly coalesced into the form of a small girl exactly the same shape as the Starkid.

"You are me." Chara said, her smile widening as ichor trickled from the corners of her eyes.


End file.
